Box Score (CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky.) — Five Saints scored in double figures as the Thomas More University men's basketball team won its fourth straight game over a Top 25 opponent, and fifth straight game overall, with a dominant 85-71 Mid-South Conference victory over No. 13 University of the Cumberlands on Saturday evening (February 15, 2020) at the Connor Convocation Center.
- Neither team was able to pull away in the game's opening 10 minutes, as Cumberlands' 13-9 lead with 13:44 left in the half was the largest margin in the early portion of the contest.
- Thomas More exploded with a 9-0 run in just under a minute and a half, featuring five points from junior Garren Bertsch (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County), to take a 29-21 lead with 7:35 left in the period.
- First-year Reid Jolly (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) extended the lead to double-digits with a jumper with 6:26 to go to put the Saints on top 34-23.
- The Patriots cut the lead down to three in the final minute of the half, but Jolly scored four points in the final 45 seconds to send Thomas More into halftime with a 42-35 lead.
- The Saints were hot in the first half, making 18-of-29 (62.1 percent) shots from the field.
- Jolly finished the half with 12 points and six rebounds.
- Bertsch added 11 first-half points.
- Thomas More broke the game open early in the second half. After a quick Cumberlands three-pointer, the Saints outscored the Patriots 20-2 in a span of 5:22 to extend their lead to 64-40 with 13:38 remaining.
- Ryan Batte (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) scored 11 points in the first five minutes of the half.
- Tyrice Walker (Hamilton, Ohio/Summit Country Day) gave the Saints their biggest lead of the game when his three-point play with 10:58 left made the score 74-49.
- Thomas More would not allow Cumberlands to get any closer than 13 points the rest of the way as the Saints crusied to an 85-71 win.
- Thomas More was 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) from the field, 5-of-10 (50.0 percent) from three-point range, and 10-of-11 (90.9 percent) from the line in the second half.
- Batte scored 13 second-half points.
- Luke Rudy (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) scored eight in the second half.
- Thomas More improved to 20-6 overall and 7-5 in Mid-South Conference play, while Cumberlands dropped to 20-6 overall and 9-3 in the league.
- For the game, the Saints were 32-of-53 (60.4 percent) from the field and 13-of-15 (86.7 percent) from the free throw line while making 8-of-20 (40.0 percent) from beyond the arc.
- Batte led all scorers with 18 points and was 8-of-9 from the free throw line.
- Jolly finished with a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, adding three assists.
- Bertsch scored 14 points with four rebounds and three assists.
- Rudy also scored 14 points for the Saints.
- Noah Pack (Georgetown, Ohio/Georgetown) scored 12 points off the bench.
- Senior Max Knisley (Washington Court House, Ohio/Washington) finished with six points and six assists in a Senior Day start.
- The Saints will look to extend their winning streak to six games when they travel to Cambellsville University for a Mid-South tilt on Thursday (February 20) at 8 p.m.
