The No. 1 ranked Thomas More University women’s basketball team continued their winning ways on Saturday, defeating the University of Tennessee Southern Firehawks 76-42 to move to 19-0 overall and 13-0 in the Mid-South Conference this season.
The Saints took control of the game early, using five points from Rachel Martin to jump out to a 14-6 lead in the first quarter. A three-pointer from Maggie Jones 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 scoring the most points in the quarter for Thomas More with four. The Saints held a 39-23 lead at the half.
The second half was more of the same, with a 14-3 run to begin the half ballooning the lead to 53-26 in favor of Thomas More. This charge was led by Courtney Hurst, who tied with fellow senior Zoie Barth 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, while junior Sammi Whiteman had a team-high seven rebounds. Hurst also led the way with four assists, and Whiteman led the team with four steals.
Thomas More also had a strong shooting performance from beyond the arc, with a 42.4% (14-33) mark against the Firehawks. This was the team’s sixth game this season shooting over 41% from beyond the arc. Additionally, the team recorded their eighth game this season with double-digit steals, grabbing 11 this afternoon.
The Saints will return to the Connor Convocation Center on 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. Thomas More 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. With this kind of performance, the Saints are sure to continue their winning ways.
