Shorthanded Tomcats knock off defending PAC champs in 4OT thriller

Game Leaders

St. Vincent
Pts: Dillon Stith - 50
Reb: Dillon Stith - 18
Ast: Isaac Turner - 5
Thiel
Pts: Eric Mallinger - 29
Reb: Eric Mallinger - 14
Ast: Khari Bess - 4

Team Stats

St. Vincent
Thiel

Field Goals

(28-74)
(43-89)

Field Goal %

37.8%
48.3%

Rebounds

45
49

Assists

12
18

Turnovers

19
19

Pts off Turnovers

25
23

2nd Chance Pts

29
30

Pts in the Paint

26
74

Fastbreak Pts

2
8

Bench Pts

14
60
full stats
More news about: Thiel
Feb 05, 2014
GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Thiel men's basketball team upset the defending Presidents' Athletic Conference champion Saint Vincent Bearcats Wednesday, as the Tomcats held on to win a four-overtime thriller that many of the 250 or so on hand at Beeghly Gymnasium won't soon forget.
 
After 137 minutes of hard-fought basketball against Saint Vincent, the top team in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, Thiel found itself in a unique predicament - freshman Mikael Pogosian had just been whistled for his fifth foul. Pogosian represented the final man on the bench for the Tomcats, who were forced to play 5-on-4 against the first-place Bearcats the rest of the game.
 
It wasn't as if the four remaining on the court were starters. In fact, four of Thiel's five starters had already fouled out, and two of its top reserves - junior Justin Dade and freshman Joshua Lumbus, suffered the same fate. The seven total disqualifications by the Tomcats were the most for a team in a single contest in NCAA Division III history, and the 11 total between the Bearcats and Tomcats tied the all-time DIII record.
 
The four on the floor for Thiel for the final 2:28 minutes of the fourth overtime consisted of freshman Khalid Smith - who had logged exactly two minutes of playing time this season prior to Wednesday, and juniors Jermaine Hamilton, Josh Johnson and Charlie Thomas. And yet, the four standing Tomcats found a way, each time, to answer the call when the Bearcats knocked at their figurative door.
 
After Pogosian's fifth foul, the Bearcats went on a 4-0 run, as Dillon Stith knocked down one of his two resulting free throws and a Saint Vincent three-pointer off of a Tomcat miss gave the Bearcats a 116-115 lead with 1:33 to play in the fourth overtime. Johnson was fouled on the ensuing inbound and tied the contest (116-116) by sinking one of his two free throw attempts. After a Saint Vincent turnover, Hamilton drove to the basket and softly laid it off the backboard for two, and Thomas sank a pair of free throws to stake Thiel to a 120-116 lead with 34 seconds remaining.
 
The Bearcats responded, utilizing their man-advantage by finding Stith for an easy dunk that absorbed just six seconds of game clock. Again, SVC fouled on the inbound, sending Johnson to the line for a pair of free shots. Johnson pushed the lead back to three (121-118) by making one-of-two free throws. The Bearcats raced down the floor only to have its layup attempt roll around the rim and out, resting in the hands of Thomas, who corralled the rebound and was immediately fouled. The junior from Warren, Ohio calmly sank two free throws to give Thiel a five-point advantage (123-118) with just 10 seconds to play.
 
The Bearcats answered with a three from the corner by Geoff Fuquay, cutting the lead down to 123-121 with seven ticks to play. Saint Vincent was forced to foul again, as Hamilton scored the final point of his career-high 15-points by sinking one-of-two free throw attempts to give the Tomcats a 124-121 lead. Stith, who became just the third player in PAC history to score 50-plus points in a game, had a look at the top of the key but it was fell short, as the Tomcats pulled off the stunning upset victory.
 
The four overtimes mark the longest game in the 97-year history of Thiel men's basketball.
 
The Tomcats were led in scoring by junior Eric Mallinger, who totaled 29 points and 14 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. Freshman Reggie Goosby finished with 17 points and six rebounds, while Dade posted 14 points and seven rebounds.

For the reserves, Johnson led the way with 19 points and seven rebounds. Hamilton finished with 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 1-of-1 from behind the arc. Smith, who played one minute in Thiel's win over Geneva on Jan. 25 and less than a minute in a win over Westminster on Jan. 29, saw 14 minutes of action, scoring four points and grabbing a rebound.

The Tomcats are back in action on Saturday, as they head to Bethany, W.Va. to take on the Bethany Bison. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.