Thomas More women finish perfect (18-0) in conference; TMC men earn No. 1 seed in PAC Tourney

NKyTribune staff

The Thomas More College women’s basketball team picked a perfect way to end the regular season and make its senior day celebrations even more special.

Junior guard Madison Temple scored 24 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out eight assists as Thomas More rolled to a 92-42 victory against Washington & Jefferson on Saturday. The Saints (24-1 overall) extended their winning streak to 23 games and finished perfect (18-0) in Presidents’ Athletic Conference play.

Thomas More’s two seniors, Abby Owings (17 points) and Nikki Kiernan (16 points), combined for 33 points, eight rebounds and four assists in their final regular-season home game. The Saints had already clinched the No. 1 seed for the upcoming PAC Tournament and will host the semifinals and championship game next weekend.

Washington & Jefferson (21-4 overall, 15-3 PAC) shot just 20.9 percent from the field and fell behind 38-21 at halftime. Thomas More then outscored the visitors by a 31-17 margin in the third quarter to build a 69-38 lead and coasted to the win.

Thomas More, which is ranked No. 4 nationally in the NCAA Division III poll, finished with a whopping 61-37 advantage in rebounds. The Saints also outscored the Presidents 44-16 in the paint.

Owings, a Simon Kenton High School graduate, is now No. 2 in school history with 1,692 career points. She needs just 15 points to become the all-time leading scorer in Thomas More history.

Kiernan, a Newport Central Catholic product, has 1,423 points in her college career. She added two blocks and seven rebounds on Saturday.

Thomas More has not lost to a PAC opponent since Jan. 14, 2012, when Saint Vincent pulled out a 68-65 victory in Latrobe, Pa. The Saints have defeated conference foes in 133 consecutive games since that loss in 2012, but the NCAA forced Thomas More to vacate every win during the 2014-15 season due to an eligibility issue, wiping out 20 victories against PAC schools.

Thomas More will play in the 8 p.m. tournament semifinal Friday at the Connor Convocation Center. Washington & Jefferson is the No. 2 seed and will play in the 6 p.m. semifinal.

TMC MEN EARN TOP SEED: Senior center Simon Clifford scored 26 points and grabbed six rebounds Saturday as the Thomas More men clinched the PAC regular-season title and No. 1 seed with a 92-70 win over Washington & Jefferson.

Clifford finished 12-for-16 from the field with two blocks. He poured in 14 points during the first half by converting seven of his eight shot attempts.

Ryne Callahan and Max Knisley each added 11 points as Thomas More improved to 20-5 overall, 16-2 in the PAC. The Saints will play host to eighth-seeded Thiel (Pa.) on Tuesday at the Connor Convocation Center in a first-round game. The tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

Thomas More scorched the nets for 72.7 percent from the field in the first half Saturday to build a 60-34 lead at the break. The Saints also shot 12-for-15 (80 percent) from 3-point range in the first half.

Callahan, Knisley and Michael Griffin all drained a trio of 3-pointers during the first half. Thomas More finished 13-for-25 from behind the arc and shot 59.3 percent from the field.

Washington & Jefferson dropped 5-20 overall, 4-14 in the PAC. In the first meeting of the season, Thomas More had posted an 86-62 win over the Presidents at Washington, Pa.

NKU WOMEN FALL AT WRIGHT STATE: Chelsea Welch scored 21 points to lead Wright State to a 73-60 victory over Northern Kentucky University on Saturday at Fairborn, Ohio, snapping the Norse’s three-game winning streak.

Mackenzie Taylor added 17 points for the Raiders, who pulled away in the second half to improve to 19-8 overall, 10-5 in the Horizon League. NKU dropped to 8-18 overall, 6-9 in the Horizon League.

Wright State started quickly, jumping out to a 26-11 lead after the first quarter. The Raiders made five 3-pointers in six attempts during the opening frame.

NKU countered with a 23-9 spurt in the second quarter and trailed by just a point (35-34) at intermission. The Norse shot 56.3 percent from the field in the second quarter and held the Raiders to just 17.6 percent.

After NKU tied the score early in the third quarter, Wright State used a 10-0 run to take a 45-35 advantage. The Norse cut the deficit to five points in the fourth quarter, but the Raiders sealed the win with a 7-0 spurt that gave them a 65-53 edge with less than five minutes remaining.

Taryn Taugher came off the bench to lead NKU with 15 points. Grace White and Molly Glick added nine points apiece for the Norse, who shot 43.1 percent from the field.

NKU plays host to Youngstown State in the final home game of the year Monday at 5 p.m. The Norse will honor senior guard Mikayla Terry prior to tipoff of that contest at BB&T Arena.