(SIOUX CITY, Iowa)-No. 1 seed Thomas More University's women's basketball team defeated No. 5 seed Cumberlands (Ky.) 91-61 on Tuesday evening (March 14), in the 2023 NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship, Round of 16, presented by Ballogy. The Saints overall record improves to 29-3.
- Senior Emily Simon (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) made the first basket of the game by driving the ball in for a layup to put the team up 2-0 with 9:14 on the clock.Â
- Senior Zoie Barth (Ft. Thomas, Ky./Highlands) drained a 3-point shot to help the Saints regain the lead with 6:12 to play in the first quarter (8-5).
- Junior Alex Smith (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mercy McAuley) would knock in two free throws for the Saints final points of the first quarter to put the team within three with 12 seconds to play (13-16).
- The Saints would trail 13-18 at the end of the first quarter to the Patriots.
- Senior Sammi Whiteman (Covington, Ohio/Covington) would start the Saints 5-0 run in the second quarter to tie the game back up.
- With 4:29 to play in the first half, senior Courtney Hurst (Burlington, Ky./Conner) made a 3-point basket to give the Saints the lead once again (25-24).
- Sammi Whiteman would make a jump shot with 33 seconds left for the final basket of the first half and give the Saints a 41-27 lead going into the locker room.
- Alex Smith led the Saints with 13 points in the first half and had three rebounds.
- Emily Simon led the defensively with five rebounds and had eight points.
- Zoie Barth recorded six points and three rebounds.
- Junior Rachel Martin (Cincinnati, Ohio/Summit Country Day) tallied four assists for a team high in the first half and had three rebounds and two points.
- The Saints were 40% (12-30) from the field, 46.2% (6-13) from the 3-point line, and 84.6% (11-13) from the free throw line in the first half.Â
- To kick off the third quarter, Zoie Barth made a jump shot with 9:50 on the clock to make it a 43-27 game.Â
- Emily Simon laid in a layup to extend the Saints lead to 55-37 with 3:44 to play in the third quarter.
- Junior Kelly Brenner (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) drained in a 3-point basket for the final basket of the third quarter to give the Saints a 68-48 lead going into the final quarter.
- Junior Mattison Vickers (Covington, Ohio/Simon Kenton) made a 3-point jump shot to start the scoring off for the Saints in the fourth quarter with 9:23 to play (71-50).
- With 3:46 to play, Courtney Hurst knocked in a 3-point basket to put the Saints up by 28 (85-57).
- First-year Jenna Lillard (Ludlow, Ky./Ludlow) made the final basket of the game with a jump shot with 1:36 to play, to secure the Saints 91-61 win over the Patriots.
- Emily Simon led the Saints with 15 points in the second half and had two rebounds.
- Mattison Vickers followed with 10 points.
- Zoie Barth recorded three rebounds and three assists for a team-high in the second half and had four points.
- Rylee Turner also recorded three rebounds for a team-high.
- The Saints were 57% (20-35) from the field, 40% (6-15) from the 3-point line, and 80% (4-5) from the free throw line in the second half.
- Emily Simon led the Saints with 23 points and seven rebounds.
- Alex Smith followed with 12 points, three rebounds, and one assist.
- Mattison Vickers tallied 12 points, one rebounds, and one assist.
- Zoie Barth recorded 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
- Rachel Martin had a team high of five assists and had five rebounds and two points.
- The Saints were 49.2% (32-65) from the field, 42.9% (12-38) from the 3-point line, and 83.3% (15-18) from the free throw line.
The Saints return to action tomorrow (March 15) at 9:00 pm ET against the winner of #2 Dordt vs #3 Montana Western in Sioux City, Iowa in the 2023 NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship.
