(CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky.) – The 10th-ranked Thomas More College women's basketball held Chatham University to single-digits in three of the four quarters today (Saturday, December 9, 2017) as it defeated the Cougars 86-28 in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game at the Connor Convocation Center in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.
With the win, the Saints improve to 8-1 overall and 4-0 in the PAC. With the loss, the Cougars fall to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the PAC.
The Saints led 51-13 at halftime they out-scored the Cougars 28-8 in the first quarter and 23-5 in the second quarter. Thomas More shot 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from the field in the first quarter and 55 percent (11-of-20) in the second quarter. Thomas More had a 17-11 scoring advantage in the third quarter and 18-4 in the fourth as it cruised to the 86-28 victory.
Thomas More out-scored Chatham 42-10 in the paint, 29-8 off turnovers, 20-6 in second chance points and the Saints' bench out-scored Chatham's 42-1.
The Saints had three players reach double-figure scoring as junior guard Madison Temple (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson) had a game-high 18 points, senior guard Abby Owings (Independence, Ky./Simon Kenton) finished with 17 and senior forward Nikki Kiernan (Cold Spring, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) added 13. Sophomore forward Emily Schultz (Melbourne, Ky./Bishop Brossart) led the team on the boards with nine rebounds, while first-year guard Hayden White (Milford, Ohio/Milford) had eight rebounds and Kiernan pulled down seven boards. Owings and sophomore guard Taylor Jolly (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) led the team in assists with five each, while Temple led the team in steals with four.
Thomas More is idle until December 19 and 20 when it competes at the Hoop N Surf Classic in Oahu, Hawaii. The Saints will play Willamette College on December 19 at 7 p.m. Eastern and No. 2-ranked Christopher Newport University on December 20 at 6 p.m. Eastern.