(WILMINGTON, Ohio) – Junior guard Abby Owings (Independence, Ky./Simon Kenton) scored 17 points tonight (Tuesday, December 20, 2016), while becoming the 17th Thomas More College women's basketball player to score 1,000 career points and led the fourth-ranked Saints to an 87-59 win over Ohio Christian University on the first day of the Fred Raizk Memorial Classic in Wilmington, Ohio.
With the win, the Saints improve to 8-0 and will play host Wilmington College tomorrow at 3 p.m. in the championship game of the classic. The Quakers were a 72-52 winner over Alma College earlier tonight. The Trailblazers fall to 8-4 with the loss and will play Alma in the consolation game tomorrow.
Owings scored her seventh point of the game and 1,000th career point with a three-pointer with 5:12 to play in the first quarter. She finished the game with 1,010 career points.
Thomas More out-scored the Trailblazers 25-15 in the first quarter and 18-15 in the second quarter to build a 43-30 lead at halftime. The Saints continued their dominance in the third quarter out-scoring Ohio Christian 21-16 to extend the lead to 64-46 and 23-13 in the fourth quarter to cruise to the 87-59 victory.
The Saints shot 51.5 percent from the field as they connected on 34-of-66 field goals. Thomas More out-scored Ohio Christian 48-18 in the paint, 17-8 in second chance points, 23-14 off turnovers and 14-5 on fast break points. The Saints also dominated the glass as they out-rebounded the Trailblazers 44-33.
Junior forward Nikki Kiernan (Cold Springs, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) recorded a double-double with game-highs 23 points and 10 rebounds, while also blocking two shots. Sophomore guard Madison Temple (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson) finished the game with 10 points and seven rebounds, while dishing out five assists. Owings had a game-high six assists in the game.