Thomas More basketball teams remain torrid, sweep PAC rival Bethany (W.Va.) on Wednesday

By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter

Time to start paying attention to that other winning streak at Thomas More College, the one being put together by the Saints men’s basketball team.

Damion King scored 22 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists Wednesday night as Thomas More won its ninth consecutive game, an 80-68 decision against Bethany (W.Va.) in the Connor Convocation Center. The Saints upped their overall record to 16-4 and remained in sole possession of first place in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference with a 12-1 mark.

Thomas More also avenged its only conference setback, a 72-65 loss at Bethany on Dec. 2.

Brandon Horne added 15 points and five rebounds for the Saints, while teammate Ryne Callahan finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. Ralph Stone chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds.

King scored 11 points in the first half as Thomas More built a 36-28 lead. Michael Griffin came off the bench and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers for the Saints before the break.

Thomas More used a 10-1 run to begin the second half to build a 46-29 advantage on Horne’s basket with 16:29 remaining. The Saints led by as many as 23 points and coasted to remain perfect (9-0) in 2018.

Thomas More’s last defeat came against Mount St. Joseph on Dec. 30 by a 56-42 score.

Calique Jones scored 22 points to lead Bethany, which dropped to 10-10 overall, 10-3 in the PAC. The Bison — who are 0-7 against non-conference foes — shot 40 percent from the field.

The Saints meet Geneva (Pa.) at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Connor Convocation Center.

TMC WOMEN EXTEND STREAK TO 18: Abby Owings scored 20 points and collected eight steals as the Thomas More women extended their winning streak to 18 with an 88-28 victory over visiting Bethany on Wednesday.

Thomas More forced 33 turnovers and finished with a 49-7 advantage in points off those miscues. The Saints, ranked No. 4 nationally in the NCAA Division III poll, bolted out to a 45-12 halftime lead by shooting 52.9 percent from the field.

Owings netted 17 of her points in the first half on 6-for-10 shooting from the field with four 3-pointers. She also recorded five steals before halftime.

Madison Temple added 12 points and nine assists for Thomas More, which held Bethany (9-11 overall, 6-7 PAC) to 25 percent shooting from the field. Nikki Kiernan chipped in 12 points and five steals as Thomas More improved to 19-1 overall, 13-0 in the PAC.

Thomas More has now won 128 consecutive games against PAC foes since a 68-65 loss at Saint Vincent (Pa.) College on Jan. 14, 2012. The NCAA forced the Saints to vacate every win during the 2014-15 season due to an eligibility issue, wiping out 20 victories against PAC schools.

Thomas More plays host to Geneva (Pa.) at 1 p.m. Saturday.