Thiel College saw a season of promise come to a disappointing conclusion Tuesday evening at Beeghly Gymnasium, as the Tomcats bowed to Washington & Jefferson, 80-77 in OT, in the first round of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Tournament.
In the end, the game boiled down to free throws: W&J converted at a respectable 70.6 percent (24-of-34), while Thiel hit at a paltry 48.3-percent (14-of-29) rate. The Tomcats missed six of eight attempts from the line in the extra frame alone.
Blair Rozenblad (Youngstown, Ohio/Kennedy Catholic) led Thiel in scoring for the 16th time this season by tossing in 26 points. The freshman also grabbed 12 boards to close out his rookie campaign with nine double-doubles.
Tomcat seniors Corey Chaffee (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) and Sean Devinney (Arsenal, Pa./Central Catholic) closed-out their careers by scoring 18 and 15 points, respectively.
W&J’s Akram Hidmi was one of two Presidents to surpass the 20-point barrier with a game-high 28 markers. Albert Varacallo tossed in 22 points.
Thiel held a slight 38-to-37 edge on the boards in the contest, while W&J notched 14 assists to Thiel’s seven. The Presidents’ 14 helpers were especially notable since the Tomcat defense allowed Thomas More to register only three assists last time out.
Thiel finished its season 14-11 – the program’s best campaign since going 16-12 in 2002-03.
Courtesy: Thiel Sports Information
