By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter
Madison Temple capped a memorable week Saturday by leading the Thomas More College women’s basketball team to its 11th consecutive Presidents’ Athletic Conference tournament championship.
Named the PAC’s Player of the Year earlier in the week, Temple poured in 32 points as top-seeded Thomas More rolled to a 93-51 win over Washington & Jefferson in the conference championship game at the Connor Convocation Center. Temple also grabbed 12 rebounds for the Saints, who improved to 26-1 and extended their winning streak to 25.
Temple, who was also named Division III National Player of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association this week, added six assists and three blocks on Saturday. The junior guard from Cincinnati shot 10-for-15 from the field and made nine of her 10 free throws.
Abby Owings scored 17 points for Thomas More, which held second-seeded Washington & Jefferson (22-5) to 28.6 percent shooting from the field. The Saints jumped out to a 30-7 lead after the first quarter and coasted to the championship in their final game as a member of the PAC.
Thomas More finished 15-for-33 from 3-point range, with Owings knocking down four treys. The Saints — who built a 40-11 lead with 7:02 left in the second quarter — also finished with a 32-4 advantage in points off turnovers.
Taylor Jolly added 15 points for Thomas More, while teammate Nikki Kiernan grabbed nine rebounds.
Thomas More has not lost to a PAC opponent since Jan. 14, 2012, when Saint Vincent pulled out a 68-65 victory in Latrobe, Pa. The Saints have defeated conference foes in 135 consecutive games since that loss in 2012, but the NCAA forced Thomas More to vacate every win during the 2014-15 season due to an eligibility issue, wiping out 20 victories against PAC schools.
Thomas More won back-to-back NCAA Division III national championships in 2015 and ’16. The NCAA later forced Thomas More to vacate all 33 wins from the 2014-15 season, including the national title, for using an ineligible player.