(CHANDLER, Ariz.) – A slow start and cold shooting doomed the No. 21 Thomas More University women's basketball team in a 68-48 loss to No. 25 Carroll (Mont.) College at the Phoenix Frontier Classic at Chandler-Gilbert Community College on Friday evening (December 20, 2019) despite a big game by senior forward Emily Schultz (Melbourne, Ky./Bishop Brossart).
- Carroll jumped out to a 19-2 lead as Thomas More struggled to score early in the game.
- The Saints rebounded with an 8-2 run to close out the first quarter, and trailed 21-10 heading into the second.
- At halftime, Carroll led 38-23.
- Thomas More was 8-for-24 (33.3 percent) from the field in the half.
- Thomas More narrowed the deficit to eight points in the fourth quarter, but could not pull any closer as the Saints struggled from the field.
- Carroll led 53-37 after three quarters and outscored Thomas More 15-11 in the final frame.
- The Saints shot 7-of-25 (28.0%) from the field in the second half.
- Thomas More fell to 10-3 with the loss while Carroll moved to 9-5
- The Saints, who entered the game ranked second in NAIA Division I in three-point percentage, went 0-for-10 from beyond the arc.
- Thomas More shot just 30.6 percent (15-of-49) from the field.
- The Saints were outrebounded 42-27.
- Schultz finished with a team-high 22 points and nine rebounds, shooting 8-for-16 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the line.
- No other Saints player scored more than six points.
- The Saints will return to action tomorrow at 2 p.m. Eastern, when they will face the University of Providence (Mont.), which received votes in the latest NAIA Top 25 Poll, in the final day of the Phoenix Frontier Classic.
