Thomas More Defeats No. 15 Georgetown 65-49 to Advance to Mid-South Championship Game

(BOWLING GREEN, Ky.) – The third-seeded Thomas More University men's basketball advanced to the championship game of the Mid-South Conference Tournament as it defeated 15^th-ranked and second-seed Georgetown College, 65-49, today in a semifinal game at Studle Financial Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

• Georgetown jumped out to a 7-5 lead with 16:20 to play in the first half.
• The Saints responded with a 31-7 run to build a 36-14 lead at halftime.
• Thomas More shot 46.7 percent (14-of-30) from the field in the first half, while holding Georgetown to 20.8 percent (five-of-24).
• The Saints had an 8-0 advantage in points off turnovers and 12-8 in the paint.
• Sophomore guard/forward Reid Jolly (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) scored 11 points and pulled down six rebounds in the first half, while dishing out one assist.
• Junior center Ryan Batte (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) added 10 points, two rebounds and three assists in the opening half.
• Senior guard Luke Rudy (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) had nine points, two rebounds and one assist.
• Sophomore center Noah Pack (Georgetown, Ohio/Georgetown) pulled down five rebounds, while scoring three points.

• Rudy made a three-pointer with 17:40 to play in the second half to give Thomas More a 41-18 lead.
• Georgetown responded with a 17-2 run to cut the lead to 43-35 on a Derrin Boyd three-pointer with 10:31 to play in the half.
• That would be as close as the Tigers would come as Thomas More closed out the game on a 22-14 run to post the 65-49 win.
• Jolly scored 11 points and had six rebounds in the second half.
• Batte added seven points.
• Rudy had five points in the second half.

• Thomas More improves to 16-8 on the season.
• Georgetown falls to 16-7.
• Thomas More 40.0 percent (22-of-55) from the field in the game.
• Batte scored his 1,000^th collegiate point with a bucket at 12:43 in the first half and then scored his 1,000^th career point at Thomas More with a bucket with 18:26 to play in the second half.
• Jolly was named the Player of the Game as he recorded a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
• Batte finished with 17 points, four rebounds and three assists.
• Rudy had 14 points, five rebounds and one assist.
• Pack pulled down seven rebounds, while scoring five points.

• Thomas More will play sixth-ranked and top-seeded Shawnee State University in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. Central/8:30 p.m. Eastern tomorrow (March 2) in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
• By advancing to play Shawnee State, the regular season champions, the Saints earn the Mid-South's second automatic bid the NAIA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.