BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The sixth-seeded Thiel College men's basketball team defeated the third-seeded Geneva Golden Tornadoes on the road in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Quarterfinals, 99-84, Tuesday night.
 
The first 12 minutes of the game were tightly contested. The Tomcats led 25-24 with just over eight minutes remaining in the first half. But a 9-0 run helped the Tomcats open a 10 point lead with 6:26 remaining in the first half.
 
Geneva would respond, but the Tomcats always had an answer. With three seconds remaining in the half, the Tomcats drew a charge, and freshman Elijah Harden (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) banked in a deep three-point shot on the ensuing possession to give the Tomcats a 47-37 lead at the half.
 
Geneva got within four points early in the second half, but that would be as close as they got the rest of the game. The Tomcats again answered every run Geneva made.
 
The Tomcats shot 51.4 percent from the field, 46.2 percent from three-point range and 88.9 percent from the free-throw line. The Tomcats also outscored the Golden Tornadoes in the paint 50-22.
 
Thiel had four players score in double figures led by freshman Elijah Harden (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) who recorded a team-high 26 points. Junior Marlon Ellerbee (Temple Hills, Md./Oxon Hill) recorded a double-double with 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Harden and Ellerbee combined to shoot 11-11 from the free-throw line. Beni Lavodrama (Washington, D.C./Phelps ACE) tallied a career-high 21 points and corralled nine boards. Ahmad Tejumola (Waldorf, Md./Saint Charles) recorded 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
 
Geneva was led by Lyle Tipton who tallied 46 points and six rebounds. Ryan Rachic tallied 15 points, while Issac Massie recorded 10 points.
 
The Tomcats will travel to Allegheny on Thursday for a spot in the PAC Championship Game. The PAC Semifinal game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.