(BETHANY, W.Va.) – Sophomore forward Nikki Kiernan (Cold Springs, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) recorded a double-double tonight (Wednesday, January 6, 2016) as she scored a game-high-tying 26 points and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to lead the top-ranked Thomas More College women's basketball team to a 118-66 win over Bethany College in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game at Hummel Field House in Bethany, West Virginia.
With the win, the Saints improve to 11-0 overall and 5-0 in the PAC. The win was Thomas More's 82nd straight regular season loss was an overtime loss to then No. 1-ranked Calvin College on November 23, 2012. With the loss, the Bison fall to 5-7 overall and 3-2 in the PAC.
Bethany took an early 5-3 lead with 9:18 in the first quarter when Sami Schott made a three-pointer. The Saints then closed out the quarter on a 31-19 run to build a 34-24 lead after one quarter. Thomas More used a 23-11 scoring advantage in the second quarter to extend the lead to 57-35 at halftime. In the third quarter the Saints out-scored the Bison 38-18 to lead 95-53 after three quarters and then had a 23-13 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter to cruise to the 118-66 victory.
Thomas More had a 68-8 advantage in points in the paint, 39-10 in points off turnovers and 26-4 in second chance points.
Four other Saints joined Kiernan in double-figure scoring as sophomore guard Abby Owings (Independence, Ky./Simon Kenton) had a game-high-tying 26 points and a game-high four steals, freshman Madison Temple (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson) finished with 14 points, senior guard/forward Sydney Moss (St. Albans, W.Va./Boone County (Ky.)) had 13 points and dished out 10 assists for a double-double and junior forward Kirsten Paul (Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Christian) added 11 points.
Thomas More returns to action on Saturday (January 9) when it hosts fellow PAC front runners Washington & Jefferson College (10-2, 5-0 PAC) at 1 p.m. at the Connor Convocation Center in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.
