(GREENVILLE, Pa.) - Junior center Colt Stafford (Groveport, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) scored a career-high 18 points, but it wasn't enough as the Thomas More College men's basketball team fell, 55-52, to Thiel College today (Saturday, January 18, 2011) in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game at Beeghly Gymnasium in Greenville, Pennsylvania. 

With the loss the Saints fall to 8-8 overall and 4-2 in the PAC.  With the win, the Tomcats improve to 11-4 overall and 7-0 in the PAC.

Thomas More jumped out to a 6-2 lead with 16:49 to play in the first half when senior shooting guard Aaron Miller (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay) made a lay-up.  Thiel answered with an 18-8 capped by a jumper by Ladell Trotty to take a 20-14 lead with 6:00 to play in the opening half.  The Saints closed out the first half on a 14-5 run to take a 28-25 halftime lead when freshman shooting guard K. Dylan Hamilton (Brooksville, Ky./Braken County) made a three-pointer with 54-seconds to play in the first half.

Thiel opened the second half on a 2-0 run to cut the lead to 28-27 with 18:56 to play in the game when Aundra Jones made a dunk.  The Saints' senior shooting guard Brian Muse (Bethel, Ohio/Bethel) made two free-throws with 17:71 to play in the game to extend the lead to 30-27.  The Tomcats answered with a 22-9 run to take a 49-39 lead with 5:11 to play in the game when Lance Randall made two free-throws.  Undaunted, Thomas More responded with a 13-4 lead capped by a jumper by Stafford to cut the lead to 53-52 with 42-seconds to play in the game.  That would be as close as the Saints would come as the Tomcats closed out the game on a 2-0 run for the 55-52 win.

Stafford was joined in double-figure scoring by Muse with 16 points.  Stafford, Miller and freshman shooing guard Willis Fleming (Cincinnati, Ohio/Fairfield) led the team on the boards with six rebounds each, while junior point guard Daniel Whelan (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) led the team in assists with three.

The Saints return to action on Wednesday (January 19) when they travel to Latrobe, Pennsylvania to play Saint Vincent College at 7:30 p.m.