EDINBORO, Pa. (November 12, 2016) – The Edinboro University men's basketball team tipped off their 2016-17 season Saturday evening with a 90-74 win versus Thiel at McComb Fieldhouse. Four Fighting Scots scored in double digits to give Edinboro its 17th straight victory over the Tomcats to open the year at 1-0. The game counted as an exhibition for the Division III Tomcats, so it did not impact their record.
 
Thiel looked to end their losing streak to Edinboro by jumping out to a 14-7 lead with 13:29 remaining in the first half. It would be their largest lead of the game before the Fighting Scots used an 8-2 run to take the lead for good at 19-16 with 9:42 to go in the half. Edinboro took a 42-33 lead at halftime, with redshirt junior Jaymon Mason scoring 15 first-half points.
 
The Fighting Scots continued to build on to their lead in the second half, leading by as much as 23 points. The Tomcats used an 8-0 run to trim the Fighting Scots' lead to nine at 54-45 with 16:18 to go in the game, but that would be as close as they would come. Edinboro responded with an 8-2 run to bump their lead back up to double digits, where it would stay for the rest of the contest. The Fighting Scots went 10-for-16 from behind the arc in the final 20 minutes to help them pull away. Mason and junior forward Mike Beck each went 3-for-4 from downtown, while freshman forward Justin Sylver joined in, as well, with a pair of triples.

 
Mason led the contest with 24 points, while gathering two rebounds. Mason now has 958 career points, putting him 42 points away from the 1,000-point milestone and five away from reaching Cory Somerville for 29th all-time. The 6'3" guard was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line, which moved him to 11th all-time with 277 made free throws. He also connected on 4-of-9 shots from 3-point range.
 
Senior guard Malachy Onwudiegwu, a transfer from Division I Alcorn State, and junior forward Maceo Baston, a transfer from Southwestern C.C., finished with 17 points and 12 points, respectively, in their Fighting Scots debut. Baston also had five rebounds, while Onwudiegwu collected three boards. Senior forward Mikael Anderson finished with 11 points and four rebounds. Sophomore Jack Frank, a transfer from Lees-McRae, and Andre Frederick, a transfer from Robert Morris, also had strong Edinboro debuts, with each grabbing a team-high seven rebounds.
 
Tyreik Burton led Thiel with 17 points, while Clandelle Cetoute finished second on the team with 16 points, while grabbing a game-high ten rebounds.
 
The Fighting Scots return to action on Wednesday, November 16 when they hit the road to take on Lake Erie in a 7:00 p.m. contest.