PITTSBURGH, Pa. – November 20, 2021 – The Chatham men's basketball team took an early lead in the first period and never looked back, beating up on visiting Thiel by a 79-62 final. The Cougars are 3-0 to begin the season and are 1-0 in PAC play.
 
After Thiel scored the first five points of the game through the first 40 seconds, Chatham embarked on a 13-0 run to take a sizable lead. At one point, Chatham was shooting in the lower-to-mid .700s at the midway point of the first half. The lead would bounce comfortably in the double-digits as Chatham held a 44-29 halftime advantage.
 
The second half proved to be difficult to gain a rhythm for either side. Numerous fouls put the Tomcats in the bonus just 7:20 into the second half. Despite the lead being comfortable for the Cougars, they were able to frustrate Thiel into sending Chatham to the charity stripe and putting the game to bed for good.
 
For the game, Chatham shot .426 including a 50% clip in the first. Half. They also splashed on nine three's. Two Cougars had 20-point double-doubles. Senior Ben Pollock had 25 points on 8-of-9 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line, 10 rebounds and five blocks. Classmate Malik Potter had 22 points and 11 boards, all defensive, also swiping five blocks and made four steals. Sophomore Simon Boyer had 16 points and junior Brandon Lavernia dished out five assists.
 
The Cougars look to defend home court on Tuesday, November 23 against Juniata with tip off at 6:00 pm.