Sophomore guard Abby Owings (Independence, Ky./Simon Kenton) scored a career-high 27 points Wednesday to lead the defending national champions and top-ranked Thomas More College women’s basketball team to a 62-48 win over Denison University in a non-conference game at Livingston Gymnasium in Granville, Ohio.
With the win, the Saints open the season at 1-0 and with the loss the Big Red fall to 0-3.
Thomas More took an early 4-0 lead when sophomore forward Nikki Kiernan (Cold Springs, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) made a lay-up with 6:08 to play in the first quarter. Denison answered with a 6-2 run to tie the game at 6-6 with 5:06 to play in the opening quarter when Taylor Lindquist made a three-pointer. The Saints closed at the first quarter on an 11-1 run to take a 17-7 lead at the quarter break when Owings made lay-up at the buzzer.
The Saints opened the second quarter on a 6-2 run to extend the lead to 23-9 when junior forward Kaylee Bush (Middletown, Ohio/Madison) made two free-throws with 5:33 to play in the quarter. Denison answered with a 17-4 run to cut the lead to 27-26 at halftime when Emily Krumpe made a jumper with three-seconds to play in the second quarter.
Thomas More used a 14-4 run to begin the third quarter to increase the lead to 41-30 with 3:56 to play in the quarter when freshman guard Madison Temple (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson) made a lay-up. The Big Red closed out the quarter on a 5-2 run to cut the lead to 43-35 after three quarters when Kellie Arter made a jumper with five-seconds to play in the third quarter.
Denison opened the fourth quarter with a jumper by Niyah Gonzalez to cut the lead to 43-37 with 9:08 to play in the game, but the Saints responded with an 11-0 run to extend the lead to 54-37 on an Owings jumper with 5:00 to play in the game. The Big Red closed out the game on an 11-8 run, but it wasn’t enough as Thomas More won the game, 62-48.
Defensively, the Saints forced Denison to commit 28 turnovers and recorded 17 steals off those turnovers.
Kiernan joined Owings in double-figure scoring with 14 points and senior forward Samantha Cady (St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony Village) just missed double-figures with eight points. Kiernan and Temple led the Saints on the boards with five rebounds each, while Owings led the team in assists with four. Temple finished the game with five steals, while Kiernan had four.
Thomas More is idle until Nov. 28-29 when it hosts the Julie Costello Memorial Classic – presented by Barleycorn’s at the Connor Convocation Center in Crestview Hills. The Saints will play 15th-ranked Ohio Northern University on Nov. 28 at 4 p.m. and Hanover College on Nov. 29 at 4 p.m.
Statement from Thomas More President Armstrong about Sydney Moss
“Thomas More College takes compliance with NCAA rules seriously. As part of the College’s commitment to promoting rules compliance, fair play, and sportsmanship in all aspects of its intercollegiate athletics participation, the College is currently reviewing a NCAA compliance question within our women’s basketball program. Out of an abundance of caution, the College will withhold women’s basketball student-athlete Sydney Moss from competition during the period of the review. The College’s decision to withhold Sydney from competition at this time should in no way be construed as an indication of a NCAA rules violation by Sydney. The College is unable to further comment on this matter during the period of the review. We look forward to publicly discussing the matter at the conclusion of the review.”
From TMC Athletics