NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Thiel College men's basketball team overcame a 10-point halftime deficit Saturday to defeat Penn State Beaver 82-74 during the first day of competition in the 23rd Annual Buzz Ridl Classic, hosted by Westminster College.
The Penn State Lions led by 15 points with 18:32 remaining in the second half, but the Tomcats used a 23-point run to claim a 60-52 lead with 11:17 remaining in regulation.
Avril Campbell tied up the game for the Tomcats, 52-52, with 13:37 remaining on a dunk. Campbell then came up with a steal, which led to a layup by Khari Bess, who gave the Tomcats their first lead in the second half (54-52). Josh Johnson scored the last two points of Thiel's 23-point run on a layup. Thiel refused to give up the lead the rest of way and led Penn State Beaver by as many as 12 points down the stretch.
Thiel's Eric Mallinger notched a double-double in the win with 19 points and a game-best 14 boards. Luke Kochka led the Tomcats with 23 points while Bess scored 14 points and tallied five assists and four steals.
Lamont Wright led the Lions with 23 points. Marcus Smith scored 17 points while Christian James scored 15 points.
The Tomcats (1-0) will return to action in the Buzz Ridl Classic Sunday when they face Kenyon at 2 p.m.