(CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky.) - Freshman forward Jenny Burgoyne (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) hit the game-winning shot with four-seconds to play in the game to propel the 17th-ranked Thomas More College women's basketball team to 64-62 win over Shawnee State University today (Sunday, November 27, 2011) in the second day of the 10th Annual Julie Costello Memorial Classic presented by Barleycorn's at the Connor Convocation Center in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.
With the win, the Saints improve to 2-1 and with the loss, the Bears fall to 6-2.
Shawnee State jumped out to a 4-0 lead when Catrice Mitchell made a lay-up with 19:47 to play in the first half. Thomas More answered with a 23-14 run to take a 23-18 lead with 6:30 to play in the opening half when junior guard Allison Long (Hebron, Ky./Conner) made a three-pointer. The Bears used a 13-3 run capped by a three-pointer by Alannah Sheets to take a 31-26 lead with 2:43 to play before halftime. The Saints closed out the half on a 5-3 run to cut the lead to 34-31 at halftime.
Thomas More opened the second half on a 5-0 run to take a 36-34 lead on a Long three-pointer with 18:19 to play in the game. Shawnee State put together a 7-0 run to take a 41-36 lead with 16:16 to play when Abby Ballman made a three-pointer. The Saints answered with a 9-1 run capped by two free-throws by sophomore guard Katie Kitchen (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) at the 12:59 mark of the second half for a 45-42 lead. The Bears used a 15-9 run to take a 57-54 lead on a Kassiday Hardgrove lay-up with 5:37 to play in the game. Thomas More came right back with an 8-2 run to take a 62-59 lead with 2:18 to play in the game when Long made two free-throws. Shawnee State tied the game at 62-62 with 2:18 to play in the game when Sheets made a three-pointer, but Burgoyne hit a jumper at the top of the key with four-seconds to play and the Shawnee couldn't get a shot off at the buzzer and Thomas More won, 64-62.
Long led the Saints in scoring with 19 points and junior forward/center Katie Kees (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) joined her double-figure scoring with 11. Burgoyne led the Saints on the boards with a career-high 12 rebounds, while Long and junior guard Jill Brunsman (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) led the team in assists with four each and sophomore guard Devin Beasley (Burlington, Ky./Conner) led the team in steals with three.
At the conclusion of the tournament Long was named 2011 Julie Costello Memorial Classic Most Valuable Player and Kitchen was named to the All-Tournament Team
Thomas More opens Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play on Wednesday (November 30) when it travels to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania to play Geneva College. The game will tip-off at 5:30 p.m. inside Metheny Fieldhouse.
