By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter
With just one game remaining as a member of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, the Thomas More College men’s basketball team is looking for a return trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament as its final memory of the league.
That’s because the top-seeded Saints advanced to the PAC Tournament championship game with a 67-50 win over Geneva (Pa.) on Thursday night at the Connor Convocation Center, moving a step closer to defending their title. Thomas More (22-5) can earn the PAC’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament on Saturday with a victory over second-seeded Bethany (16-11) in the championship game at 7:30 p.m.
Four players scored in double figures for Thomas More, with Damion King and Ralph Stone each netting 13 points. King also dished out a game-high six assists for Thomas More, which built a 32-18 halftime lead and cruised to the easy win.
Brandon Horne added 11 points for the Saints, who held Geneva to just 34 percent shooting from the field. Simon Clifford chipped in 10 points, while Ryne Callahan finished with nine points.
Thomas More forced Geneva into 17 turnovers while committing just seven of its own miscues. The teams finished even on the glass at 37 rebounds apiece, with Stone grabbing eight boards.
“Our pressure on the ball and our communication on defense led us to this win,” said Stone, a native of Shelbyville and graduate of Collins High School. “The two previous games we let [Geneva] play comfortable, and our coaches had been on us about pressuring the ball better.”
Jimmy Leichliter scored a game-high 27 points, including seven treys, for Geneva. The Golden Tornadoes finished the season with a 12-15 record.
TMC WOMEN MEET GROVE CITY: Thomas More’s women will play host to fourth-seeded Grove City (18-8) on Friday in the PAC Tournament semifinals at the Connor Convocation Center. The tipoff is set for 8 p.m.
The Saints are 24-1 overall and own a 23-game winning streak going into Friday. Thomas More finished perfect (18-0) in PAC play this season to earn the top seed in the tournament. The Saints are ranked No. 4 nationally in the NCAA Division III poll.
Thomas More senior guard Abby Owings, a Simon Kenton High School graduate, is now No. 2 in school history with 1,692 career points. She needs just 15 points to become the all-time leading scorer in Thomas More history.
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 133 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.