The No. 2 seed Thomas More University women’s basketball team faced off against the No. 7 seed Shawnee State in the Quarterfinals of the MSC Tournament on Friday evening (February 24). Despite a strong showing from the Saints, they fell short in a closely contested game, losing 81-79. The loss brings the Saints’ overall record to 26-3.
The first half saw senior Courtney Hurst open up the scoring for the Saints with a 3-point basket with 9:23 left in the first quarter. The Saints continued to build on their lead, with junior Alex Smith extending it to 11-4 with a layup at the 5:34 mark. The Saints finished the first quarter leading 17-14, with Maggie Jones’ 3-point shot being their final basket of the quarter with 2:36 remaining.
The second quarter saw Mattison Vickers hit a jump shot to open up the scoring for the Saints with 8:31 remaining, making it a 20-18 game. Zoie Barth made a layup with 4:55 left to play, making it a 30-27 game. Courtney Hurst made the Saints’ final basket of the half with a 3-point shot to extend the lead to seven with 1:23 to play in the first half, with the score being 38-31. The Saints went into halftime shooting 45.2% from the field, 47.1% from the 3-point line, and 50% from the free-throw line. Courtney Hurst led the Saints with 13 points in the first half.
The second half saw Courtney Hurst opening up the scoring for the Saints with a 3-point shot with 9:54 left on the clock in the third quarter, making it a 41-33 game. Alex Smith drove to the rim for a layup with 2:23 left to play in the third quarter, putting the Saints within one with a score of 54-55. Senior Emily Simon knocked in two free throws for the Saints’ final points of the third quarter, helping the team regain the lead with a score of 56-55. The fourth quarter saw Rylee Turner making two free throws with 6:25 left to play, tying the game back up at 65-65. With 4:16 to play in the game, Courtney Hurst made a 3-point shot to put the Saints within one. Emily Simon made two free throws with 16 seconds left to put the Saints within one (79-80), but ultimately, they came up short to Shawnee State 79-81.
Courtney Hurst led the Saints in the second half with nine points and had one rebound, while Zoie Barth tallied nine points, four rebounds, and five assists to lead the team. Rachel Martin and Kelly Brenner both had two assists to lead the Saints in the second half. Emily Simon recorded three rebounds to lead the team and had five points and one assist in the second half. The Saints were 32.3% from the field, 33.3% from the 3-point line, and 89.4% from the free-throw line in the second half.
Courtney Hurst led the team with 22 points and had one rebound, followed by Zoie Barth with 14 points, four rebounds, and five assists. Alex Smith had 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists, while Rylee Turner led the Saints defensively with six rebounds and had six points and two assists. Rachel Martin had nine points, two rebounds, and two assists.
Despite the tough loss, the Saints will return to action on March 7-8 in the Opening Round of the NAIA Women’s Basketball National Tournament. The team’s opponent and time are yet to be determined. The Selection Show is scheduled for Thursday, March 2, at 7:00 pm ET.
