(WAYNESBURG, Pa.) - Sophomore guard Chelsea Tolliver (Morning View, Ky./Simon Kenton) scored a game-high 15 points to lead the third-ranked Thomas More College women's basketball team to a 59-44 win over Waynesburg University today (Saturday, January 8, 2011) in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania.
With the win, the Saints improve to 13-0 overall and 5-0 in the PAC. With the loss, the Yellow Jackets fall to 10-3 overall and 4-2 in the PAC.
Thomas More jumped out to a 8-1 lead when senior forward Amy Stultz (Amelia, Ohio/McNicholas) made a lay-up with 16:30 to play in the first half. Waynesburg answered with a 6-0 run capped by a lay-up by Hannah Hunter to cut the lead to 8-7 with 13:56 to play in the half. Undaunted the Saints responded with a 22-5 run to extend the lead to 30-12 with 5:06 to play in the first half when Tolliver made two free-throws. The Yellow Jackets put together a 4-0 run to cut the lead to 30-16 when Megan Sowers made a jumper at the 4:22 mark of the first half. The Saints closed out the half on a 6-3 run to lead 36-17 at halftime.
Waynesburg opened the second half on a 15-9 run to cut the lead to 45-34 with 10:01 to play in the game when Elisha Jones made two free-throws. Thomas More answered with an 8-1 run capped by a jumper by sophomore guard Allison Long (Hebron, Ky./Conner) to extend the lead to 53-35 with 5:40 to play in the game. Waynesburg used a 7-3 run to cut the lead to 56-42 when Brittany Spencer made two free-throws with 1:14 to play in the game, but it wasn't enough as the Saints closed out the game on a 3-2 run for the 59-44 victory.
Tolliver led three Saints in double-figures as Long finished with 14 points and senior center Nicole Dickman (Park Hills, Ky./Notre Dame Academy) added 12 points. Sophomore forward/center Katie Kees (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) led the team on the boards with 12 rebounds, while Tolliver led the team in assists with three.
The Saints return to action on Wednesday (January 12) when they host Bethany College at 5:30 p.m. at the Connor Convocation Center in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.