NKyTribune staff
Madison Temple poured in 27 points Saturday night as the top-ranked Thomas More University women’s basketball team rallied for a 67-59 win over No. 5 Trine (Ind.) in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at the Connor Convocation Center.
Shelby Rupp added 19 points and 18 rebounds for Thomas More, which rallied from an early 15-point deficit to improve to 29-0. The Saints — who committed 12 turnovers in the first half and shot just 23.1 percent from the field to find themselves trailing 31-20 at intermission — stormed from behind with a 28-12 run in the third quarter and led the remainder of the game.
Thomas More’s Madison Temple (right) is defended by Trine’s Katy Steers. Temple scored 27 points. (TMU photo)
Emily Schultz chipped in 11 points and four rebounds for Thomas More, which shot 42.1 percent from the field. The Saints converted 68.8 percent of their attempts during the decisive third-quarter run as Temple and Schultz each scored eight points.
Thomas More used a 12-4 run in the fourth quarter to extend a 48-46 lead into a 60-50 advantage. Temple ignited the spurt with 10 points, including a pair of crucial 3-pointers.
Brandi Dawson scored 18 points to lead Trine, which finished the season with a 26-3 record. The Thunder shot just 36.4 percent from the field and lost the rebounding battle by a 40-27 margin.
Thomas More will meet 18th-ranked Transylvania on Friday in the NCAA Division III Tournament sectional semifinals. The location of that game and time will be announced Sunday. Transylvania is 27-2 after defeating Oglethorpe, 76-56, on Saturday.
A year ago, Thomas More advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four. The Saints won back-to-back NCAA Division III national championships in 2015 and ’16, though the NCAA later forced Thomas More to vacate the ’15 title for using an ineligible player.
(Information compiled from Thomas More and staff reports)
