Sports Information Department – 112 Dods Hall
Phone (716) 673-3100 / Fax (716) 673-3136

CONTACT: Matt Palisin,
Sports Information Dept.

DATE: Mon., Feb. 6, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Men's Basketball

Thiel rallies past Devils

GREENVILLE, Pa. -- Fredonia State continued to struggle away from home, as the Devils suffered an 89-81 loss Monday evening at Thiel College.

Fredonia State featured four players in double-figures. Tim Anderson (Jamestown/Jamestown) led all scorers with 23 points. Chris Donahue (Olean/Olean) finished with 18, including six of nine from beyond the arc. Devin Watkins (Franklinville/Franklinville) finished with 12, and Taha Alassari (Brooklyn/Sweet Home) finished with 10. Alassari also had eight rebounds and seven assists to pace the Devils.

Thiel (3-18) was led by Gary Gates with 22 points. Geno Bianco had 21 off the bench.

Down eight, 16-8, with 13:43 to play in the first, the Tomcats put together a 21-7 run over the next 3:59 to go ahead by six, 29-23, with 9:44 remaining in the half. Gates had seven during the outburst.

Donahue tied the game at 38-38 with his three-pointer at the 3:31 mark before Gates reclaimed the lead for the Tomcats with a three-point play, putting Thiel up three, 41-38, with 1:13 in the half. Donahue tied the game for the Blue Devils at 41-all with a three with just over a minute left in the half. Anderson gave Fredonia a two-point edge, 43-41, with a lay up with five seconds remaining in the half.

After a 52-52 tie with 14:25 to play, Fredonia outscored Thiel 19-8 over the next 6:49 to pull ahead by 11, their largest lead of the game, 71-60. The Tomcats, bounced back with an 11-0 run and tied the game at 71-all with just over four minutes to play.

Anderson put the Blue Devils up by two, 73-71, before Bianco's three-pointer gave the Tomcats a one-point edge with 3:37 to play. Anderson connected on one-of-two free throws with just over three minutes to go, but the Tomcats managed to knock down 10-of-11 free throws down the stretch to preserve the eight-point win.

The two teams combined for 25 three-point baskets, 13 by the Devils. Fredonia State finished with a 28-22 edge on the glass.

The win snapped a 14-game losing streak for the Tomcats. The Devils had won an early-season matchup, 81-73, in Steele Hall.

Next up for Fredonia State (9-12) is a weekend series in the North Country -- Plattsburgh on Friday, and Potsdam on Saturday.

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