(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The No. 1-ranked Thomas More College women's basketball team clinched the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) regular season title outright tonight (Wednesday, February 17, 2016) as it defeated Chatham University, 90-42, in a PAC game at the Athletic & Fitness Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
With the win, the Saints improve to 24-0 overall and 17-0 in the PAC. Thomas More can post its third-straight and fifth overall undefeated regular season with a win over Saint Vincent College on Saturday (February 20). With the loss, the Cougars fall to 10-14 overall and 6-11 in the PAC.
Trailing 6-4 with 6:24 to play in the first quarter, the Saints closed out the quarter on an 18-6 run to lead 22-12 after one quarter. Thomas More would then out-score Chatham 23-8 in the second quarter to lead 45-20 at halftime, 23-16 in the third quarter to lead 68-36 and 22-6 in the fourth quarter for the final score of 90-42.
The Saints shot 56.3 percent (36-of-64) from the field. Defensively, the Saints forced 24 Cougar turnovers and turned them into a 31-3 advantage in points off turnovers.
Senior guard/forward Sydney Moss (St. Albans, W.Va./Boone County (Ky.)) led four Saints in double-figure scoring with 25 points. She was joined in double-figure scoring by freshman guard Madison Temple (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson) with 15 points, junior forward Kirsten Paul (Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Christian) with 12 points and junior forward Kaylee Bush (Middletown, Ohio/Madison) with 10 points. Paul led the team on the boards with seven rebounds, while Bush, senior forward Samantha Cady (St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony Village) and freshman forward Shelby Rupp (Milian, Ind./Batesville) each added five rebounds. Freshman guard Michaela Ware (Newport, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) led the team in assists with six, while Temple, sophomore guard Abby Owings (Independence, Ky./Simon Kenton) and senior guard Olivia Huber (Woodlawn, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) each added five assists. Owings led the team in steals with four.
The Saints close out the regular season on Saturday when they host Saint Vincent College at 12 p.m. at the Connor Convocation Center in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. Thomas More will honor its five seniors prior to the game with Senior Day activities scheduled to begin at 11:45 a.m.
