GREENSBURG, Pa. – Khari Bess scored 18 points as Thiel (2-2) held off the Penn State Behrend men's basketball team 54-52 on Tuesday night.
Trailing by 10 with 8:28 remaining, the Lions (2-1) chipped away at the Tomcats lead, cutting the deficit to two on a Zane Hackett (Brookville, PA/Brookville) layup with 9 seconds left.
After Bess missed the front end of a one-and-one, Behrend had one final chance, but Casey Courneen's (Sewickley, PA/Quaker Valley) three-point attempt for the win was off the mark.
Hackett scored in double-figures for the third straight game, finishing with 15 points and eight boards. Courneen was 3-of-7 from three with nine points, and Nick Delisio (Aliquippa, PA/Central Valley) had 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
Shane Skelly (Westlake, OH/Westlake) added 10 points and six rebounds for the Lions, who fell for the first time this season.
Behrend will return to action the Saturday after Thanksgiving with a 2:00 tip-off at Westminster.
