By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Thomas More junior guard Summer Secrist blocked a last-second shot and the Saints came away with a 60-58 win over Rocky Mountain University of Montana in the quarterfinal round of the NAIA women’s national basketball tournament on Saturday at Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
If the Saints (30-4) win their semifinal game against Central Methodist of Missouri (31-5) at 9 p.m. (ET) Monday, they’ll return to the championship final. Last year’s team was runner-up in the national tournament.
The Thomas More men’s team reached the semifinals of the NAIA national tournament in Kansas City with a 59-56 win over Oklahoma Wesleyan on Saturday at Municipal Auditorium.
In the final five seconds of that game, center Ryan Batte made two free throws that gave the Saints a three-point lead and Wesleyan missed two 3-point shots on its final possession.
Thomas More (31-4) will face Talladega of Alabama (31-5) in a men’s semifinal game at 8 p.m. (ET) Monday. This is the first time the Saints have played in the 16-team national tournament. The last time Talladega made it was 2016.
The leading scorer for the Thomas More women’s team on Saturday was forward Alexah Chrisman with 12 points. She was the only starter to reach double figures.
The Saints got 36 points from five players coming off the bench with Secrist providing 11 and guards Taylor Clos and Maggie Jones getting eight each.
Thomas More shot 43.4 percent (23 of 53) from the field compared to Rocky Mountain’s 37.4 (24 of 64). The Saints had a 21-6 scoring advantage on 3-point goals with five players hitting treys.
In the Thomas More men’s game, Batte posted a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead an offense that shot 48.7 percent (22 of 46) from the field with seven 3-point goals. Wesleyan shot 36.1 percent (22 of 61) and hit just two treys.
The Saints’ other double-figure scorers were Garren Bertsch with 11 points and Noah Pack with 10. They made five of their team’s seven 3-pointers. Casey George came off the bench to contribute six points and four assists.