(CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky.) - The No. 6/7-ranked and top-seeded Thomas More College women's basketball team won its seventh-straight Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship Tournament title with a 72-59 win over third-seeded Washington & Jeffers College today (Saturday, February 23, 2013) in the tournament championship game at the Connor Convocation Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
With the win, the Saints improve to 27-1 and earn the PAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament for a seventh-straight season. The NCAA Division III Championship brackets will be announced on Monday (February 25) on the NCAA Championship Website (www.ncaa.com) at 2:30 p.m. With the loss, the Presidents fall to 20-8.
W&J took an early 5-2 lead when Chelsea Apke made a three-pointer with 18:20 to play in the game. Thomas More answered with a 21-6 run to build a 23-11 lead with 6:31 to play in the first half when senior guard Katie Kitchen (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) made two free-throws. The Presidents closed out the half on a 14-7 run to cut the lead to 30-25 at halftime when Alexa DelGreco made a three-pointer with 47-seconds to play in the half.
Thomas More opened the second half on a 7-0 run to extend the lead to 37-25 with 18:48 to play in the game when Kitchen made a three-pointer. The Presidents answered with a 21-10 run to cut the lead to 47-46 with 7:53 to play in the game when Valerie Dunlap made a jumper. That would be as close as W&J would come as Thomas More closed out the half on a 25-13 run capped by two free-throws by senior guard Allison Long (Hebron, Ky./Conner) with 34-seconds to play in the game for the final score of 72-59.
Long lead all scorers with 25 points, while Kitchen joined in in double-figure scoring with 10 points. Junior forward Moriah Corey (Louisville, Ky./Bulter) led the team on the boards with seven rebounds, while Long led the team in assists with five, steals with six and blocks with two.
Thomas More Women's Basketball Defeats Washington & Jefferson, 72-59
