NKyTribune staff
Is another national championship looming for the Thomas More women’s basketball program?
If Monday night’s 65-55 win over visiting Campbellsville — the top-ranked team in the NAIA national poll — is an indication, Thomas More is more than capable of bringing home another title to Crestview Hills.
Taylor Clos and Zoie Barth each netted 11 points for Thomas More, which is ranked No. 4 nationally in the NAIA poll. The Saints — who bolted out to a 20-9 lead after one quarter — fought off a Campbellsville rally and made several clutch plays in the fourth quarter to knock off the nation’s No. 1 team.
Campbellsville (11-1 overall, 8-1 Mid-South Conference) outscored Thomas More 17-4 in the second quarter to gain 26-24 lead at the intermission. The Saints, though, used an 11-1 run to end the third stanza for a 40-36 edge.
Thomas More then capped the win by outscoring Campbellsville 16-5 during the final five minutes to hand the Lady Tigers their first loss of the season. Thomas More improved to 19-1 overall, 14-1 in the Mid-South Conference.
Alexah Chrisman, a transfer from Rice, added 10 points off the bench for Thomas More. The Saints held Campbellsville to just 37.5 percent shooting from the field and won the rebounding battle by a 33-27 margin.
Summer Secrist and Clos keyed Thomas More’s game-ending spurt with six points apiece. Clos drained a 3-pointer with 4:31 remaining to give Thomas More a 52-50 lead and start a decisive 10-0 run.
Barth grabbed seven rebounds to lead Thomas More, which shot 46.9 percent from the field. Courtney Hurst added eight points for the Saints, while Secrist scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds.
Sammy Rogers scored 21 points to lead Campbellsville. Savannah Gregory added 10 points for the Lady Tigers.
Thomas More won NCAA Division III national championships in 2015, 2016 and 2019. The Saints transitioned to the NAIA last season and posted a 22-10 record.
TMU MEN DEFEAT CUMBERLAND: Reid Jolly scored 26 points while teammate Ryan Batte added 23 points and 15 rebounds as the Thomas More men’s basketball team posted a 70-54 win at Cumberland (Tenn.) on Monday night. Thomas More, which is ranked No. 20 nationally in the NAIA poll, improved to 12-4 overall, 10-4 in the Mid-South Conference.
NKU’S GARCIA HONORED: Northern Kentucky University’s Carissa Garcia has been named the Horizon League Player of the Week following her performance in two road wins against Milwaukee. This marks Garcia’s first career player of the week award.
Following a nearly one-month layoff due to COVID-related matters, Garcia matched her career-high with 20 points in Friday night’s 67-50 victory at Milwaukee. Garcia then scored a career-high 22 points on Saturday as NKU swept the two-game series with Milwaukee.
(Information compiled from Thomas More, NKU and staff reports)