NKyTribune staff
Five Thomas More players scored in double figures Saturday afternoon as the Saints posted an 85-71 win over the Cumberlands (Ky.) at the Connor Convocation Center.
Ryan Batte scored 18 points to lead Thomas More, which won its fifth consecutive game and improved to 20-6 overall, 7-5 in the Mid-South Conference. Reid Jolly added 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Saints shot 60.4 percent from the field to knock off the Patriots, who are ranked 13th nationally in the NAIA poll.
Garren Bertsch and Luke Rudy each scored 14 points for Thomas More, while Noah Pack finished with 12 points. Tevin Olison led the Cumberlands (20-6 overall, 9-3 Mid-South Conference) with 20 points. The Patriots shot just 42.9 percent from the field.
Thomas More’s Ryan Batte (1) attempts a shot while being defended by Caleb Taylor of the Cumberlands on Saturday at the Connor Convocation Center. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
Thomas More plays at Campbellsville on Thursday at 8 p.m.
NKU WOMEN DEFEAT IUPUI: The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team snapped IUPUI’s 13-game winning streak Saturday with a 65-62 triumph at BB&T Arena.
Ivy Turner led NKU with 12 points, while Molly Glick and Carissa Garcia each added 11 points. The Norse used a 22-5 run in the second quarter to turn a 15-10 deficit into a 32-20 lead at halftime.
IUPUI (19-7 overall, 13-2 Horizon League) rallied to within 63-62 and had two chances to win in the final minute, but NKU’s Grayson Rose blocked a shot and the Jaguars then misfired on their final attempt. Glick, a senior guard playing in her final regular-season home game, grabbed the rebound.
NKU’s Ally Niece made a pair of free throws with less than a second remaining on the clock to account for the final margin. Niece and Kailey Coffey both added 10 points for the Norse, who improved to 16-10 overall, 10-5 in the Horizon League.
NKU is tied with Wright State for second place in the Horizon League standings. Those two teams will square off Thursday night at Fairborn, Ohio, at 7 p.m.
TMU WOMEN WIN AT HOME: Emily Schultz scored 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists as the Thomas More women’s basketball team improved to 18-7 overall with an 89-77 victory over the Cumberlands (Ky.) on Saturday.
Freshman guard Zoie Barth, a graduate of Highlands High School, added 19 points, six rebounds and five assists for Thomas More, which is ranked No. 22 nationally in the NAIA poll. The Saints are 7-5 in the Mid-South Conference.
Thomas More shot 52.6 percent from the field, including 14-for-26 from 3-point range. The Saints also converted 15 of their 16 free throws to avenge an earlier loss at the Cumberlands (19-7 overall, 6-6 Mid-South Conference).
Thomas More plays at No. 3 Campbellsville on Thursday at 6 p.m.
(Information compiled from Thomas More, NKU and staff reports)
