Top-ranked Thomas More women knock off St. Thomas to advance to NCAA Final Four


The No. 1-ranked Thomas More College women’s basketball team defeated No. 2-ranked University of St. Thomas, 75-58, Saturday in the Sectional Finals “Elite 8” of the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament at the Connor Convocation Center in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.

With the win, the Saints improve to 31-0 and advance to the program’s first-ever National Semifinals “Final Four” next weekend in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Saints will play No. 5-ranked Tufts University in a National Semifinal game on Friday at 5 p.m. With the loss, the Tommies end the season at 30-1.

St. Thomas jumped out to an early 21-16 lead when Katie Stone made a jumper with 9:24 to play in the first half. The Saints responded with a 7-1 run to take a 23-22 lead when junior forward Sam Cady (St. Anthony Village, Minn./St. Anthony) converted a three-point play with 4:59 to play in the half. The Tommies closed out the half on a 9-5 run to take a 28-31 lead at halftime.

Thomas More opened the second half on a 12-2 run capped by a jumper junior guard/forward Sydney Moss (St. Albans, W.Va./Boone County (Ky.)) with 15:29 to play in the second half to give the Saints a 40-33 lead. St. Thomas answered with a 6-2 run to pull within 42-39 when Anna Smith made two free-throws with 13:07 to play in the game. The Saints responded with a 29-12 run capped by two free-throws by senior guard Sydni Wainscott (Erlanger, Ky./Simon Kenton) with 4:07 to play in the game. The Tommies closed the game on a 7-4 run, but it wasn’t enough as the Saints won the game, and advanced to the Final Four.

Moss led all scorers with 35 points, with 25 coming in the second half. Cady joined her in double-figure scoring with 10 points. Moss also led the team in rebounds with nine, while freshman forward Nikki Kiernan (Cold Springs, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) added eight boards. Wainscott led the team in assists with five, while Kieran and junior forward Alexa Santamaria (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) each had two blocks.

From TMC Athletics


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