TMC women rally for road win at Pikeville; Norse women fall to Austin Peay in thriller

By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter

Nikki Kiernan scored eight points in the fourth quarter as the Thomas More College women’s basketball team rallied from a 46-41 deficit to knock off the University of Pikeville, 67-59, Tuesday night at Pikeville.

Pikeville held a 46-41 lead after a basket by Adison Corder with 9:41 remaining, but Thomas More used a 17-7 run to gain a 58-53 advantage on Kiernan’s basket with 3:22 left on the lock. The Saints, ranked 10th nationally in the NCAA Division III poll, converted 11 of their 12 attempts from the free-throw line in the final quarter to seal the victory and improve to 7-1.

Kiernan, a senior forward from Newport Central Catholic High School, was 5-for-8 from the field and added two blocked shots.

Abby Owings scored 17 points to lead Thomas More, while teammate Madison Temple added 13 points. Kiernan finished with 12 points, and Emily Schultz netted 10 points. Shelby Rupp led Thomas More with seven rebounds, while Owings, Temple and Schultz each grabbed six boards.

Corder led Pikeville (6-5) with 12 points, and Jamie Castle finished with 11 points and six assists. The Bears shot just 40 percent from the field in the fourth quarter, while Thomas More made 50 percent of its attempts in the final stanza to rally for the win.

Thomas More plays host to Chatham University at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Connor Convocation Center.

AUSTIN PEAY DEFEATS NKU IN THRILLER: Falon Baker’s short jumper with 3.9 seconds remaining in the game lifted Austin Peay to a 53-52 win over Northern Kentucky University at BB&T Arena on Tuesday night.

Samari Mowbray’s breakaway basket with 30 seconds left had given NKU a 52-51 lead. On the ensuing possession, Austin Peay isolated Baker for a one-on-one play, and the junior guard converted a short, double-clutching leaner from the left side of the lane with 3.9 seconds on the clock to give the Governors a 53-52 edge.

After NKU and Austin Peay each called timeouts, the Norse inbounded the ball to Molly Glick. She dribbled into the lane and attempted a driving shot, but the ball hit off the right side of the rim as the buzzer sounded.

Baker scored 16 points to lead Austin Peay (7-1), which won its seventh consecutive game. Keisha Gregory added 15 points for the Governors, who led by as many as 13 points in the second quarter.

Glick netted a game-high 19 points to lead NKU, which dropped to 1-6. The sophomore guard buried a trio of 3-pointers and also grabbed six rebounds.

Kailey Coffey added 16 points and eight rebounds for the Norse. Mowbray chipped in six points and two blocks for NKU, which used a 14-2 run in the third quarter to turn a 36-27 deficit into a 41-38 lead when Coffey converted a pair of free throws with 47 seconds remaining.

NKU’s Laura Thomas collected a game-high four steals and also dished out five assists. The sophomore guard also finished with five points and three rebounds.

NKU plays host to Indiana University on Saturday at BB&T Arena at 7 p.m. The Hoosiers are 5-4 after defeating North Texas, 68-63, on Tuesday night.

Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com