Box Score (WASHINGTON, Pa.) – Senior guard D'Carlo Hayes (Louisville, Ky./Male) scored a team-high 20 points to lead the Thomas More College men's basketball team to an 83-72 win over Washington & Jefferson College today (Saturday, January 4, 2014) in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game at the Henry Memorial Center in Washington, Pennsylvania.
With the win, the Saints improve to 3-9 overall and 2-1 in the PAC. With the loss, the Presidents' fall to 6-6 overall and 2-2 in the PAC.
Thomas More raced out to a 15-9 lead with 13:43 to play in the first half when junior guard/forward Drew Mumford (Louisville, Ky./Christian Academy) made a lay-up. W&J answered with a 5-0 run capped by a three-point play by Mitch Locher to cut the lead to 15-14 with 12:35 to play in the half. The Saints responded with an 8-0 run to increase the lead to 23-14 with 9:32 to play in the opening half when Mumford converted a four-point play. The Presidents came right back with a 15-5 run to take a 29-28 lead on two free-throws by Nate Bellhy with 4:23 to play in the half. Thomas More used a 13-6 run to build a 41-35 lead when Mumford converted another three-point play with 1:00 to play in the first half. W&J's Doug Johnson made a three-pointer with 30-seconds to play in the half to cut the Saints' lead to 41-38 at halftime.
The Saints opened the second half on a 10-5 run to extend the lead to 51-43 with 17:29 to play in the game when Hayes made a three-pointer. The Presidents used a 4-0 run capped by a Nick Martin lay-up to cut the lead to 51-47 with 16:39 to play in the second half. Thomas More answered with a 12-7 run capped by a jumper by senior forward Brandon Housley (Covington, Ky./Holmes) with 10:05 to play in the game to increase the lead to 63-54. W&J's Tyler Hass made two free-throws with 8:07 to cap a 6-2 run and cut the lead to 65-60. Thomas More responded with a 6-2 run to build a 71-62 lead with 4:32 to play in the game when junior forward Chris Richard (Louisville, Ky./Southern) made a lay-up. The Presidents cut the lead to 71-66 with 3:26 to play in the game when Bellhy made a jumper to cap a 4-0 run. That would be as close as the Presidents' would come as the Saints closed out the game on a 12-6 run for the 83-72 victory.
Hayes led five players in double-figure scoring as Mumford finished with 19 points, while Housley, Richard and senior guard Spencer Berlekamp (Cincinnati, Ohio/Kings) each finished with 10 points. Richard led the team on the boards with five rebounds, while Mumford led the team in assists with five and steals with four.
The Saints return to action on Wednesday (January 8) when they host Geneva College at 7:30 p.m. at the Connor Convocation Center in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.
