(CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky.) - The No. 7-ranked and top-seeded Thomas More College women's basketball team won its seventh-straight Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship Tournament title with a 72-59 win over third-seeded Washington & Jeffers College today (Saturday, February 23, 2013) in the tournament championship game at the Connor Convocation Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

With the win, the Saints improve to 27-1 and earn the PAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament for a seventh-straight season. The NCAA Division III Championship brackets will be announced on Monday (February 25) on the NCAA Championship Website (www.ncaa.com) at 2:30 p.m.  With the loss, the Presidents fall to 20-8.

W&J took an early 5-2 lead when Chelsea Apke made a three-pointer with 18:20 to play in the game.  Thomas More answered with a 21-6 run to build a 23-11 lead with 6:31 to play in the first half when senior guard Katie Kitchen (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) made two free-throws.  The Presidents closed out the half on a 14-7 run to cut the lead to 30-25 at halftime when Alexa DelGreco made a three-pointer with 47-seconds to play in the half.

Thomas More opened the second half on a 7-0 run to extend the lead to 37-25 with 18:48 to play in the game when Kitchen made a three-pointer.  The Presidents answered with a 21-10 run to cut the lead to 47-46 with 7:53 to play in the game when Valerie Dunlap made a jumper.  That would be as close as W&J would come as Thomas More closed out the half on a 25-13 run capped by two free-throws by senior guard Allison Long (Hebron, Ky./Conner) with 34-seconds to play in the game for the final score of 72-59.

Long lead all scorers with 25 points, while Kitchen joined in in double-figure scoring with 10 points.  Junior forward Moriah Corey (Louisville, Ky./Bulter) led the team on the boards with seven rebounds, while Long led the team in assists with five, steals with six and blocks with two.