Box Score Crestview Hills, Ky. - The men's basketball program at Thomas More defeated the reigning National Champion Shawnee State on Monday night by a score of 100-65. With the win the Saints improve to 12-2 on the year and 6-1 in Mid-South Conference play.
- Redshirt junior forward Ryan Batte (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) got his big night started with the first basket of the game to make the score 2-0 just 20 seconds in.
- Graduate student Garren Bertsch (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) made a corner three off a feed from Batte to put Thomas More up 13-7 with 15:26 remaining in the first half.
- Batte scored six straight points in a span of two minutes to stop the Bears run and helped the Saints retake the lead at 19-18 with 12:28 to go in the first.
- First-year Casey George (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington) scored on back-to-back possessions for five straight points and helped Thomas More go on a 15-0 run and gave Thomas More a 36-21 lead.
- First-year Wyatt Vieth (Hebron, Ky./Saint Henry) splashed home a three-pointer with 5:26 left in the first off a pass from first-year Jacob Jones (Jeffersonville, Ind./Jeffersonville) to grow the lead to 18.
- Batte scored the final six points of the first half to put the Saints up 60-36 heading into the locker room.
- Team shot a record 75% from the field in the first half.
- Batte led the team in scoring in the first half with 21 points.
- Sophomore forward Noah Pack (Georgetown, Ohio/Georgetown) made a layup to put Thomas More up 20 with 17:33 to go in regulation.
- Sophomore guard Reid Jolly (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) grabbed the offensive rebound and put it back up for two to make the score 70-47 with 13:12 remaining.
- Jones forced a turnover and was rewarded 20 seconds later after Pack found the young card for a three to put the Saints up 29 with 7:32 to go.
- Graduate student Luke Rudy (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) stole the ball from the defender and finished with a euro-step to put Thomas More up 88-57.
- First-year JT Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) converted a reverse layup that was set up by fellow first-year forward Ayden Schneider (Cincinnati, Ohio/La Salle) to put the Saints up 37.
- Sophomore guard Eli Howard (Newport, Ky. / Newport Central Catholic) scored the 100th and final point of the night for Thomas More on a three via a pass by senior Logan Swackhammer (Chillicothe, Ohio/ Unioto) to bring the final to 100-65.
- Batte led the game in scoring with 29 points and also pulled down eight boards.
- Pack snatched eight boards and added seven points.
- Shot 62.1% from the field for the game on 41-66 shooting.
- Shot 40% from the three-point line on 10-25 shooting.
- Outrebounded Shawnee 33-23 in the game.
Men's basketball return to the court on Thursday, Jan 6, for another MSC contest this time they will play host to Campbellsville at 8 p.m. ET in the Connor Convocation Center.
