(JOLIET, Ill.) – The Thomas More University men's basketball team pushed by the University of St. Francis (Ill.) Fighting Saints Thursday afternoon, 70-68. After leading by 10 with 6:34 to play, Thomas More held off a late rally to come away with their 11th victory of the season and move to 11-2 overall.
- The Saints jumped out to a big lead at the beginning of the game, taking a 15-4 lead with 12:21 remaining in the first half.
- Casey George (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington North) had five points during the run while Jacob Jones (Jeffersonville, Ind./University of Wisconsin Green Bay) had four.
- This lead would continue to grow for the Saints, jumping to as many as 17 (25-8) with 6:52 to play in the opening half.
- St. Francis put pressure on Thomas More for the remainder of the half though, using a 24-7 run to tie the game at 32-32 heading into the locker room.
- The Saints took a 37-32 lead at the beginning of the second half off the strength of a Reid Jolly (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) jumper and a three-pointer by Wyatt Vieth (Hebron, Ky./Saint Henry).
- However, a 10-5 Fighting Saints run gave St. Francis a 42-40 advantage with 16:11 to play.
- The game would stay close for the next five minutes, sitting at 50-48 Thomas More before the Saints tried to break it open with an 11-3 flurry to take their largest lead of the half at 61-51.
- Vieth took over the game for the Saints, knocking in a trio of three-pointers during this stretch.
- The Saints held an eight-point lead with 2:51 remaining before the Fighting Saints attempted to make a furious comeback.
- A 10-3 rally pushed the score to 69-68 Thomas More with nine seconds left on the clock.
- Jolly would knock down a free throw and a Carter Fayhee three-pointer from way downtown on the final possession was off the mark and the Saints would survive with the victory.
- Jolly recorded his seventh game of the season with 20 or more points, with a game-high 22.
- Vieth tied his season-high, knocking down six threes in the contest and scoring 18 points.
- George had his tenth game in double-figures this season, with 12 points.
- Sophomore Kyle Ross (St. John, Ind./Lake Central) had a game-high eight rebounds while Jones led the team with four assists.
- The Saints shot 50% from the field, their fifth game this season shooting 50% or better.
- They also shot a season-high 50% from beyond the arc, tying a season-high with nine made threes.
Thomas More returns to the court for the second game of the St. Francis Fighting Saints New Year's Classic tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. CST against Roosevelt University.
