By Dan Weber
NKyTribune sports reporter
With a pair of weekend wins in the Connor Classic, the Thomas More men’s basketball team improved to 3-1 on the season after pummeling both Kent State Tuscawaras, 92-46, in the championship game Saturday after topping UC-Clermont, 84-66, in Friday’s opening game.
But the going gets a whole lot tougher the next game as Justin Ray’s Saints head to Indianapolis for a 2 p.m. showdown against the NCAA’s No. 5 Division II team, the University of Indianapolis.
Three players helped lead the Saints to doubling up on KST. Point guard Jacob Jones, out of Jeffersonville, Ind., scored 20 points to go with a team-high five assists and three rebounds had the most impact. Freshman Nathan Dudukovich added 19 points with a team-high seven rebounds. Veteran Reid Jolly scored 13 points with three rebounds in 21 minutes of action as TMU shot 32 of 62 from the field (51.6 percent) and 14 of 37 from the three-point line (37.8 percent).
Friday’s win saw Ryan Paris (Hilliard, Ohio) led the way with 18 points and six rebounds. Point guard Jones added 12 points with six assists and two rebounds. Kyle Ross out of St. John, Ind. Led the way with eight rebounds in addition to 11 points and three assists. The Saints shot 43.9 percent (29 of 66) from the field and 38.2 percent (13 of 34) from three-point territory.
TMU WOMEN FALL TO 1-2 ON THE ROAD
In their third straight game away from Crestview Hills, the TMU women fell to Wheeling, 78-72, Tuesday but will get back for their home opener Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Connor Convocation Center against Miami-Hamilton.
In the Wheeling game, Alex Smith (Cincinnati Mercy McAuley) led the Saints with 21 points and four rebounds. Kelly Brenner (Cincinnati Roger Bacon) added 19 points. Rachel Martin (Cincinnati Summit Country Day) led TMU with six assists and freshman Desiree Tandy (Danville) had a team-high nine rebounds to go with her eight points.
Despite their 72 points, the Saints shot just 35.4 percent (23 of 65) from the field, lower than the 38.9 percent (14 of 36) they shot from three-point territory and they were an almost perfect 12 of 13 (92.3 percent) from the free throw line.
TMU WRESTLING FINISHES 3RD AT ALBION
Fifteen Thomas More wrestlers traveled to Albion, Mich., over the weekend and finished third in the Albion College Invitational Sunday with three individual titles.
Ryan Moore (Crittenden/Walton-Verona), a three-time national finalist ranked No. 8 this year, took little time (a total of less than three minutes) in the semifinals and finals to win easily at 149 pounds with two falls, a tech fall and a pin in his four wins.
At 141 pounds, sophomore Cole Thomas (Walton/Ryle) picked up three falls on the way to the championship match where he pinned Albion’s Austin Matheney in 3:41 for the title.
In the heavyweight division, nationally No. 8-ranked Daulton Mayer (Mentor/Walton-Verona) extended his consecutive pin streak with pins in five matches that took just 1:05, 0:46, 0:54, 2:46 and 0:22 respectively for Mayer to win another tourney title.
After a holiday break, the Saints return on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 7 pm at Tiffin, Ohio, as they open up their conference and NCAA D-II schedule against No. 12 Tiffin.
Contact Dan Weber at dweber3440@aol.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @dweber3440.