Box Score (CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky.) — The Thomas More University men's basketball team overcame an eight-point deficit with just under five minutes to play to claim its first-ever Mid-South Conference win on Thursday night (January 16, 2020) at the Connor Convocation Center, slipping past Cumberland University 60-57.
- The Saints opened the game on a 7-2 run with a Noah Pack (Georgetown, Ohio/Georgetown) three-pointer bookended by baskets from Ryan Batte (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills).
- The Phoenix fought back to tie the game with 14:42 left in the half, and neither team led by more than four points until Cumberland took a 26-20 lead with 3:43 remaining in the half as the two teams continued to battle.
- A Max Knisley (Washington Court House, Ohio/Washington) layup and a pair of free throws by Batte with three seconds left brought the Saints to within two, and Thomas More trailed 26-24 at halftime.
- Batte led all scorers in the first half with 12 points.
- Pack finished the half with seven rebounds.
- Thomas More shot 10-of-27 (37.0 percent) from the field while holding Cumberland to 11-of-34 (32.4 percent) from the field.
- For the first eight minutes of the second half, neither team led by more than two points. On five separate occasions within that span, Cumberland scored to take a two-point lead, only for Thomas More to respond to tie the game or take the lead.
- After a layup by Pack tied the game at 37-37 with 12:18 left to play, the Phoenix pulled away with an 11-2 run and led 48-40 with 7:12 remaining.
- With 4:56 remaining, Cumberland led 53-45 before a Luke Rudy (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) three with 4:24 to play ignited a 14-0 run.
- Bertsch followed with a basket, then Knisley forced a turnover and tied the game at 53-53 with a three-pointer off a Rudy offensive rebound with 2:20 to go.
- Batte gave the Saints their first lead in nearly 14 minutes of play with a jumper with 1:29 left in the game to make the score 55-53.
- After a defensive stand, Bertsch made it a two-possession game at 57-53 with a pair of free throws with 26 seconds to play.
- Knisley also made a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left, extending the Saints lead to 59-53, to help close out the game.
- The second half featured six ties and three lead changes.
- Batte scored 13 points in the second half on 5-of-7 (71.4 percent) shooting.
- Thomas More shot 12-of-24 (50.0 percent) from the field in the half and 4-of-10 (40.0 percent) from beyond the arc.
- The Saints made 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) free throws in the half to close out the game.
- Thomas More snapped a three-game losing streak, improving to 13-4 overall and 1-5 in the Mid-South Conference, while Cumberland fell to 10-8 overall and 2-4 in league play.
- The Saints were 22-of-51 (43.1 percent) from the field and 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) from the line, while the Phoenix shot 25-of-60 (41.7 percent) from the field.
- Batte led all scorers with 25 points as he shot 10-of-15 (66.7 percent) from the field.
- Rudy finished with 10 points as he made 3-of-9 three-pointers.
- Pack pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, adding seven points and three blocks.
- Knisley finished the game with seven points and eight rebounds.
- Bertsch had nine points for the Saints.
- Thomas More will travel for a Mid-South battle at Life University on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
