Thomas More beats W&J in showdown for PAC lead
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
W&J’s Amirah Moore shots over Thomas More’s Madison Temple during Saturday’s PAC game.
W&J’s Mia Woytovich scores two against Thomas More’s Abby Owings (11)
W&J’s Lauren Gilbert drives the ball around Thomas More’s Kelly Clapper
W&J’s Maria Lawhorne looks for room to make the next move against Thomas More’s Shelby Rupp
The Thomas More women’s basketball team is playing its final season in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. For many of the Saints’ league rivals, that’s great news because Thomas More has dominated the conference for more than a decade, winning each of the past 11 PAC championships.
However, the team at Washington & Jefferson was determined Saturday afternoon to give the Saints a parting gift in the form of their first conference loss in almost six years.
Though W&J gave a valiant effort, the Presidents found out that Thomas More is still tough to beat, especially when you shoot only 31 percent against the talented Saints.
Senior point guard Abby Owings led four Thomas More players in double figures with 19 points and Madison Temple almost had a triple-double as the Saints, ranked No. 5 in NCAA Division III, extended their PAC winning streak to 103 games with a 73-57 victory at Henry Memorial Center.
Thomas More improves to 8-0 in the conference with one game remaining before reaching the halfway point in the schedule. And with Thomas More to play the majority of its remaining games against upper-level teams in the PAC in Crestview Hills, Ky., where the Saints have been almost unbeatable, it appears the road to the conference championship will again run through the Blue Grass state.
“I want to beat them before they go,” W&J coach Jina DeRubbo said, echoing the feeling of every other coach in the PAC.
The Presidents (7-1, 13-2) knew what a win over Thomas More could mean come postseason tournament time and they played well on the defensive end for much of the first half. Thomas More (14-1), however, used a 10-2 run late in the second quarter to open a 37-26 halftime lead.
Thomas More pushed the lead to 18 points at 51-33 in the third quarter and DeRubbo, who last weekend won her 400th career game, saw something she didn’t like – her team’s body language – and called a timeout. The Presidents looked like a frustrated and beaten team, a look many opponents have when playing Thomas More. DeRubbo told her team as much during the timeout.
“We talked all week about believing you can win. You must have the belief, that skill for skill you can match up and beat them,” DeRubbo said. “To do that, you can’t give up a 6-0 run and say, ‘Here we go again. They’re good.'”
The Presidents responded to DeRubbo’s stern words during the timeout and strung together three consecutive three-point field goals – two by freshman Lauren Gilbert and the other by Danielle Parker – and pulled to within 57-44 after three quarters. A steal and three-point play by Mia Woytovich cut Thomas More’s lead to 65-55 with less than three minutes remaining but W&J would never close to within single digits.
“I know the final score might look like we gave them a game, but how many moral victories can you have?” DeRubbo asked.
To Thomas More’s credit, the Saints played with poise and confidence down the stretch. In other words, they carried themselves like the battle-tested and confident team they are.
“It’s a mindset we’ve always had,” Thomas More coach Jeff Hans said. “It’s not arrogance, it’s not cockiness, but we do want to have confidence in our abilities and the game plan we have.”
It helps when you have a player like Owings, who DeRubbo called “an All-American for a reason.” Owings had seven assists to go with her 19 points. Temple had 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Shelby Rupp and Emily Schulz each came off the bench to score 10 points.
Gilbert scored a game-high 21 points to lead W&J. Amirah Moore had 14 points and Woytovich 10.
The Presidents, however, gave up 15 offensive rebounds and were beaten on the boards, 46-37.
“I liked the way we played physical in the fourth quarter, and in the first quarter we played great defense … but we didn’t finish the defensive possessions with a rebound,” DeRubbo said. “They struggled to score against us but then they would get the rebound and another chance. It’s tough to play defense against Thomas More for 30 seconds, then have to do it again.”