(LEXINGTON, Ky.) - The Thomas More College men's basketball team fell, 80-71, to Transylvania University today (Saturday, December 22, 2012) in a non-conference game in the Beck Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

With the loss, the Saints fall to 8-2 and with the win, the Pioneers improve to 8-3.

Thomas More took an early 4-2 lead when sophomore shooting guard Drew Mumford (Louisville, Ky./Christian Academy) made lay-up with 16:21 to play in the first half.  Transylvania used a 17-4 run to build a 19-8 lead with 10:13 to play in the half when Barrett Meyer made a three-pointer.  The Saints tied the game at 21-21 when senior point guard Ryan Hamm (Maysville, Ky./Mason County) capped a 13-2 run with a lay-up.  The Pioneers responded with a 19-4 run to take a 40-25 lead with 1:27 to play in the first half when Brandon Rash made a three-pointer.  Junior power forward Al Upshaw (Cincinnati, Ohio/Gamble Montessori) made two free-throws with 1:10 to play in the first half to cut the lead to 40-27 at halftime.

Transylvania opened the second half on a 6-4 run to increase the lead to 43-31 on a Parker Stansberry tip-in with 16:35 to play in the game.  Thomas More answered with a 17-10 lead capped by a lay-up by junior small forward Brandon Housley (Covington, Ky./Holmes) to cut the lead to 56-48 with 8:24 to play in the game.  The Pioneers came right back with their own 17-10 run to build a 73-58 lead with 3:03 to play in the game on an Ethan Spurlin lay-up.  Thomas More closed out the game on a 13-7 run, but it wasn't enough as Transylvania went on to the 80-71 victory.

Mumford led the Saints with 18 points, while junior point guard D'Carlo Hayes (Louisville, Ky./Male) added 17 points and sophomore shooting guard Jalen Clark (Frankfort, Ky./Western Hills) finished with 12 points.  Clark led the team in rebounding with six and steals with three, while junior power forward Josef Marshall (Dayton, Ohio/Trotwood Madison) led the team in assists with six.

Thomas More is idle until December 28 when it hosts Cincinnati Christian University at 7 p.m. in the second game of the first day of the Coach Jim Connor Classic.