Box Score (GEORGETOWN, Ky.) — The Thomas More University men's basketball team earned one of its biggest wins in program history when it stunned No. 1 Georgetown College, 73-71, on the road Thursday night (February 6, 2020), handing the defending national champion Tigers their first loss of the season.
- Three-pointers by Luke Rudy (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) and Garren Bertsch (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) started the scoring for the Saints, who fell behind 12-6 in the game's first five minutes.
- Ryan Batte (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) and Reid Jolly (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) scored the game's next four points off of offensive rebounds, then a Batte three-pointer tied the game at 13 with 13:16 left in the half.
- Neither team led by more than two points over the next nine minutes until Thomas More went on a 12-4 run with two baskets by Batte and three-pointers by Bertsch and Rudy to take a 30-22 lead with 2:25 to play in the half.
- The Saints went into halftime with a 30-24 lead.
- Thomas More was 12-of-33 (36.4 percent) from the field in the first half and 6-of-16 (37.5 percent) from three-point range, while holding Georgetown to 9-of-25 (36.0 percent) from the field and 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.
- Batte and Rudy tied for the team lead with nine points in the half, with Bertsch adding eight points.
- Max Knisley (Washington Court House, Ohio/Washington) hauled in six first-half rebounds.
- Jolly opened the second half with a basket, followed by a Rudy three-pointer as the Saints extended their lead into double-digits at 35-24 with 19:21 to play.
- After Georgetown struck back with back-to-back scores, Knisley knocked down a three to put Thomas More up 38-28 with 17:52 to go.
- The Tigers responded with an 11-0 run to take their first lead of the second half, 39-38, with 15:28 remaining, until Noah Pack (Georgetown, Ohio/Georgetown) ended the run with a basket to regain the lead for the Saints.
- With Georgetown leading 44-42, Thomas More went on a run of its own, scoring nine unanswered points—including seven from Jolly—to go up 51-44 with 8:40 to play.
- Following a pair of Rudy free throws, Batte scored the Saints' next four baskets as Thomas More maintained a 61-53 lead with 3:26 left.
- The Tigers cut into the lead with a three-pointer, only for Bertsch to respond on the ensuing possession to keep the Saints up 64-56 with 2:43 to go.
- Jolly made a jumper with 1:01 left to keep Thomas More's lead at eight points, 68-60, heading into the final minute.
- The Tigers scored a quick basket and then cut the lead to four at 68-64 with two free throws after a steal with 38 seconds to go.
- Batte was then immediately fouled and knocked down a pair of free throws to put the Saints up 70-64 with 37 seconds left.
- Georgetown scored quickly, then forced a turnover and hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to one, 70-69, with 17 seconds remaining.
- Jolly made two free throws to extend the lead to three, 72-69, with 13 seconds left.
- With the three-point lead, the Saints elected to foul and the Tigers split two free throws with 11 seconds to play.
- Batte then hit one of two free throws to put Thomas More up 73-70 with nine seconds to go.
- Again the Saints fouled, and again the Tigers split their two free throws with seven seconds remaining to make the score 73-71, but after Jolly rebounded the missed second foul shot, Georgetown forced a jump ball to regain possession.
- Thomas More's defense held in the final seconds, and the Saints left Georgetown with the 73-71 upset win.
- The Saints were 13-of-28 (46.4 percent) from the field in the second half and 4-of-12 (33.3 percent) from three-point range.
- Jolly scored 15 points and pulled in four rebounds in the second half.
- Batte had 11 second-half points.
- Thomas More improved to 18-6 overall and 6-5 in the Mid-South Conference, and has now won three consecutive games, all against NAIA Division I Top 25 teams.
- Georgetown fell to 22-1 and 10-1 in the conference, and had its 32-game winning streak snapped.
- Thomas More entered the game with the No. 2 scoring defense in the nation (63.1 points per game), and kept Georgetown's No. 3 scoring offense (95.8 ppg) to more than 24 points under its per game average.
- Overall, the Saints were 25-of-61 (41.0 percent) from the field and 10-of-28 (35.7 percent) from long range.
- The Tigers entered play ranked 12th in NAIA Division I in three-point percentage (38.9 percent), but were held to just 3-of-15 (20.0 percent).
- Batte finished with a team-high 20 points, adding six rebounds.
- Jolly scored 19 points with five rebounds.
- Rudy had 14 points, with four three-pointers, and seven rebounds.
- Bertsch scored 11 points and had two steals.
- Knisley finished with seven points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
- Pack had five rebounds off the bench.
- The Saints will return to action on Thursday (February 13) at University of Cincinnati-Clermont at 6 p.m.
