GREENVILLE, Pa. (Dec. 9) -- Thiel College men's basketball forward Rob Thomas (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) was tabbed as the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Newcomer of the Week for the 2nd time in the last 3 weeks following his pair of dominant performances last week, the league office announced Monday afternoon.

Thomas averaged 19.5 points, six rebounds, 4.5 steals and two blocks while shooting 50% (15-of-30) from the field and 88.9% (8-of-9) from the charity stripe as the Tomcats went 1-1 in PAC play last week.

The Penn Hills High School product posted career bests in points (27) and steals (nine) as the Tomcats topped Westminster Wednesday 77-68. He also pulled down four boards in the win and went 11-of-17 from the field, 1-of-2 from deep and 4-of-5 at the free-throw line.

Thomas' nine steals are tied for the second most in a game in program history and are the most by a Tomcat since Khari Bess had the same amount in a 2016 win over Westminster (78-66). His mark in steals are also the most in a game by a PAC player this season

Versus Franciscan Saturday, Thomas contributed 12 points for his fourth double-digit scoring effort of the season. He went 4-of-13 from the field and 4-of-4 at the line while pulling down a team-best eight boards and blocking a team-high-tying two shots.

Thomas leads the Tomcats in points per game (11.0), shooting percentage (53.1%), steals (15) and blocks (10). He is in the top 10 of the conference in blocks and the top 15 of the league in steals. His mark in shooting percentage would be in the top 10 of the PAC, but he has not seen enough action to qualify.

Men's basketball returns to action Tuesday for a road matchup with Bethany College at 7:30 p.m.