GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Thiel College men's basketball team defeated the Franciscan Barons, 86-80, in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game on Wednesday.
 
In the first half, the Tomcats gained an early lead as the Barons remained close. The Barons took their first lead of the game at the 11:21 mark, a 16-15 lead. However, the Tomcats took the lead back and held it for the rest of the first half, leading by as many as 13 points and went into the break ahead 48-37.
 
In the second half, the Tomcats held at least a seven-point lead and at most a 14-point lead until the final minutes. The Tomcats led 81-70 with 3:38 left, but the Barons stormed back with seven unanswered points as part of a 10-1 run to reduce the Tomcats' lead to 82-80 with 1:45 left. With the Barons closing in, the Tomcats' defense held the Barons scoreless the rest of the game. Marlon Ellerbee (Temple Hills, Md./Oxon Hill) also helped the Tomcats break away in the final seconds, hitting all four of his free throws in the final 34 seconds as the Tomcats went on to win 86-80.
 
The Tomcats outrebounded the Barons 53-33 and 21-8 on offensive rebounds. This led to 22 second chance points for the Tomcats compared to three for the Barons. Both teams shot three-pointers efficiently with the Tomcats shooting 11-for-20 (55.0%) and the Barons shooting 9-for-18 (50.0%) from beyond the arc.
 
Daquan Simmons (Capitol Heights, Md./Central) led the game and tied his career high with 23 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including 4-for-8 on three-pointers and 9-for-10 on free throws. Ahmad Tejumola (Waldorf, Md./Saint Charles) notched his 12th double-double of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds and led the Tomcats with four assists.
 
Ellerbee and John Aarestrup (Miami, Fla./Archbishop Coleman Carroll) scored 13 and 11 points, respectively. Aarestrup also hit three three-pointers and added two blocks. Rayshod Hooper (Baltimore, Md./St. Frances Academy) scored nine points with nine rebounds. Beni Lavodrama (Washington, D.C./Phelps ACE) grabbed 12 boards and dished out three assists. Ethan Barnes (Boynton Beach, Fla./Suncoast) added nine points off the bench.
 
For the Barons, Colton Hage and Josh Zimmerman scored 20 and 17 points, respectively on a combined 15-for-27 (55.5%) shooting.
 
The win extended the Tomcats' winning streak to four games. The Tomcats also moved up two spots in the PAC standings from eighth to sixth after Wednesday's games.
 
The Tomcats conclude the season with senior day on Saturday at 3 p.m. as they host the Saint Vincent Bearcats. A win on Saturday would clinch the sixth seed and give the Tomcats a first-round bye for the PAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.