(PULASKI, Tenn.) – The No. 1 ranked Thomas More University women's basketball team defeated the University of Tennessee Southern Firehawks 76-42 Saturday afternoon to move to 19-0 overall and 13-0 in the Mid-South Conference this season.
- The Saints took a quick 14-6 lead over the Firehawks in the first quarter, using five Rachel Martin (Cincinnati, Ohio/Summit Country Day) points to lead the charge.
- A Maggie Jones (Piner, Ky./Simon-Kenton) three-pointer pushed the lead to 22-10 before heading into the second quarter with Thomas More leading 25-16.
- The lead grew to as many as 17 in the second quarter, with Callie Hunt (Trenton, Ohio/Edgewood) scoring the most points in the quarter for Thomas More with four.
- The Saints held a 39-23 lead at the half.
- A 14-3 run to begin the second half ballooned the lead to 53-26 in favor of Thomas More.
- This charge was led by Courtney Hurst (Burlington, Ky./Conner) who tied with fellow senior Zoie Barth (Fort Thomas, Ky./Highlands) for the most points in the quarter with six.
- The Saints would cruise to the finish line, scoring 37 total points in the second half for the 76-42 victory.
- Barth and Hurst led the team with 11 points each.
- Junior Sammi Whiteman (Covington, Ohio/Covington) had a team-high seven rebounds, while Hurst also led the way with four assists.
- Whiteman led the team with four steals, while Rylee Turner (Newport, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) and Hailie Morgan (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton) both had a block.
- Thomas More had their sixth game this season shooting over 41% from beyond the arc, with a 42.4% (14-33) mark against the Firehawks.
- The team also recorded their eighth game this season with double-digit steals, grabbing 11 this afternoon.
Thomas More returns to the Connor Convocation Center Thursday evening for a game with the Georgetown College Tigers at 5:30 p.m. The Tigers were receiving votes to be ranked in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll.
They beat Georgetown 75-63 earlier this season on the road and are 7-0 against them since joining the NAIA during the 2019-20 season.