(DANVILLE, Ky.) - Junior guard Katie Kitchen (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) scored a game-high-tying 17 points to lead the 14th-ranked Thomas More College women's basketball team to a 55-51 season-opening win over Defiance College tonight (Friday, November 16, 2012) in the Country Hearth Inn/Famous Recipe Classic hosted by Centre College at Alumni Gymnasium in Danville, Kentucky.

With the win, the Saints improve to 1-0 and with the loss, the Yellow Jackets fall to 0-1. 

Thomas More raced out to a 13-3 lead with 13:08 to play in the first half when sophomore forward Jenny Burgoyne (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) made two free-throws.  Defiance answered with a 6-0 run capped by two free-throws by Ashley Birchmeier to cut the lead to 13-4 with 8:04 to play in the opening half.  Senior guard Allison Long (Hebron, Ky./Conner) made a lay-up with 6:02 to play in the half to cap an 8-0 run to extend the lead to 21-9.  The Yellow Jackets closed out the half on a 9-2 run to to cut the lead to 23-18 at intermission when Kim Comden made a lay-up with nine-seconds to play in the half.

Defiance opened the second half with a jumper by Erica King to cut the lead to 23-20 with 19:48 to play in the game.  Thomas More responded with a 15-2 run capped by a Long lay-up to extend the lead to 38-22 with 14:27 to play in the game.  The Yellow Jackets answered with a 29-15 run to cut the lead to 53-51 with three-seconds to play in the game when King made a jumper.  Long put the game away for the Saints as she made two-free-throws with two-seconds to play in the game for the final score of 55-51.

Joining Kitchen in double-figure scoring for the Saints was Long and junior guard Nakharra Gaines (Fairdale, Ky./Fairdale) with 10 points each.  Senior guard Jill Brunsman (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) just missed double-figures as she had nine points. Burgoyne led the Saints on the boards with seven rebounds, while Gaines added six boards.  Long led the team in assists with three, while Gaines and freshman guard Olivia Huber (Woodlawn, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) led the team in steals with three each.

The Saints will play in the second day of the Hearth Inn/Famous Recipe Classic tomorrow as they will play Maryville (Tenn.) College at 1 p.m.