(CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky.) - Junior forward Jenny Burgoyne (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) scored a career-high 35 points to lead the top-ranked Thomas More College women's basketball to a 95-58 win over Salem College tonight (Friday, March 7, 2014) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship at the Connor Convocation Center in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.
With the win, the Saints improve to 29-0 and advance to John Carroll University in a second round game tomorrow (Saturday, March 8) at 6:30 p.m. at the Connor Convocation Center. John Carroll defeated Texas Lutheran University, 74-62, in the first game tonight. With the loss, the Spirits end the season at 21-5.
Thomas More jumped out to an early 26-11 lead when sophomore guard/forward Sydney Moss (St. Albans, W.Va./Boone County (Ky.)) made a lay-up with 11:31 to play in the first half. Salem responded with an 8-4 run to cut the lead to 30-19 with 7:43 to play in the opening half when Jasmine Shabazz made a jumper. The Saints closed out the half on a 20-6 run to extend the lead to 50-25 at half time when Moss made a lay-up with 25-seconds to play in the first half.
Thomas More out-scored Salem 45-33 in the second half and led by as many as 41 points twice as it went on to the 95-58 victory. The Saints shot 50.7 percent from the field (35-of-69) and out-scored Salem, 58-30 in the paint and 29-5 off turnovers.
Burgoyne was joined in double-figure scoring by Moss with 21 and senior guard Katie Kitchen (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) with 11. Moss completed her 14th double-double of the season with 12 rebounds, while she also led the team in steals with six. Senior guard Devin Beasley (Burlington, Ky./Conner) led the team in assists with eight.