The Thomas More University men’s basketball team recorded a victory over Roosevelt on Saturday afternoon in the Saint Francis Fighting Saints New Year’s Classic, 85-72. The win helped the Saints come out of the Classic undefeated, improving their overall record to 12-2.
Redshirt junior Reid Jolly (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) started the game off strong for the Saints, sinking two free throws to kick off a 15-0 run. Sophomore Casey George (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington North) added to the lead with a jump shot, making it 19-5 with 10:20 to play in the first half. The Saints continued to dominate, with redshirt junior Noah Pack (Georgetown, Ohio/Georgetown) driving to the rim for a basket and extending the lead to 26-13 with 5:50 to play in the half.
The Saints finished the first half strong, with junior Riley Haubner (Cincinnati, Ohio/La Salle) making a layup and one to give the team a 10-point lead going into the locker room (40-30). Casey George led the Saints in the first half with 16 points and two rebounds, while Noah Pack recorded four rebounds and seven points and had two assists. Reid Jolly had four rebounds, three assists, and four points in the first half.
The Saints continued their strong performance in the second half, with Casey George starting off with a layup to give the team a nine-point lead (42-33). Wyatt Vieth (Burlington, Ky./St. Henry) added to the lead with a 3-point basket, making it 63-47 with 12:01 on the clock. Sophomore transfer Kyle Ross (Saint John, Ind./Lake Central) made a 3-point shot to extend the Saints lead to 78-59 with 6:36 to play in the game. The Saints closed out the game with a jump shot from sophomore Jacob Jones (Jeffersonville, Ind./Jeffersonville) to give the team an 85-70 lead with 1:09 left in the game.
Casey George led the team in scoring with a career-high of 25 points and three assists, and also had four rebounds. Reid Jolly recorded three assists and had 16 points and six rebounds. Noah Pack recorded nine rebounds and three assists, and had 11 points. Wyatt Vieth had 11 points, five rebounds, and two assists, while Kyle Ross recorded 10 points, two rebounds, and two assists. Jacob Jones had nine points, two rebounds, and two assists.
The Saints shot 58.2% from the field, 58.8% from the 3-point line, and 64.7% from the free throw line. The team will return to action on January 5 against Campbellsville (Ky.) for conference play in the Connor Convocation Center at 7:30 pm ET.
