NKyTribune staff
Zoie Barth, Courtney Hurst and Briana McNutt combined for 42 points and 22 rebounds as Thomas More advanced to the Mid-South Conference Tournament championship game with a 57-47 win over Shawnee State on Monday afternoon.
Barth scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Thomas More, which improved to 24-1. The Saints held Shawnee State to 28.6 percent shooting from the field and won despite making just 14 free throws in 25 attempts.
Hurst added 14 points for Thomas More, which is ranked No. 1 nationally in the NAIA poll. McNutt scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Saints extended their winning streak to nine games.
Thomas More led by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter and coasted to the win. The Saints shot just 30.6 percent from the field and were outrebounded by a 54-44 count but forced Shawnee State into 17 turnovers.
Anyia Pride led Shawnee State (18-8) with 20 points. Carson Roney added 11 points and 16 rebounds for the Bears, who were the defending Mid-South Conference Tournament champions.
A year ago, Shawnee State knocked off Thomas More in the Mid-South Conference Tournament championship game. Thomas More, though, defeated Shawnee State three times this season.
Thomas More will meet second-seeded Campbellsville (18-1) at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the championship game. The Mid-South Conference Tournament is being held at Bowling Green.
Campbellsville advanced to the championship game by defeating Lindsey Wilson, 81-57, in the other semifinal on Monday. In their only meeting this season, Thomas More posted a 65-55 win over Campbellsville at the Connor Convocation Center in Crestview Hills.
Thomas More has already been selected to host an opening-round three-team pod in the NAIA Tournament March 12-13. The winner of that pod advances to the national finals in Sioux City, Iowa.
(Information compiled from the Mid-South Conference and staff reports)