Thomas More, Ranked #10, Downs Willamette, 76-56, at Hoop N Surf Classic

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

HONOLULU, Hawaii -- Madison Temple scored 27 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead 10th-ranked Thomas More College (Ky.) to a 76-56 win over Willamette University on Tuesday, Dec. 19 during the Hoop N Surf Classic at Kilauea District Park. The Saints advanced their record to 9-1 on the season, while Willamette fell to 4-5 overall.

Britanny Kochenderfer (Jr., G, Klamath Falls, OR/Henley HS/Idaho State Univ.) led Willamette with 17 points and nine rebounds. She also provided the Bearcats with four assists, one blocked shot and one steal. Kylie Towry (Sr., G, Medford, OR/South Medford HS) tacked on 11 points. Mary Eckenrode (Sr., G, Higley, AZ/Highland HS) contributed nine points and three rebounds.

Temple was one of three players in double figures for the Saints. She hit 10 of 16 field goals and converted 6 of 7 free throws. Nikki Kiernan finished with 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Temple registered three assists and two steals to along with her team-high seven boards. Kiernan added five rebounds, one assist and one steal. Abby Owqingo scored 10 points and also supplied Thomas More with three rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Thomas More, ranked #10 in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25, shot 42.0% from the field (29 of 69) and made 5 of 16 attempts from 3-point range (31.3%). The Saints went 13 for 18 at the free throw line (72.2%). The Saints gained a 48-33 rebounding margin.

Willamette connected on 22 of 59 field goals (37.3%), while converting 8 of 28 three-point shots (28.6%). The Bearcats were 4 for 11 on free throws.

The Saints opened the game with a 9-0 run. Kiernan scored seven of the nine points, including a traditional three-point play. Willamette scored on a 3-pointer by Towry with 6:43 left in the first quarter. Owings hit 3-point shot for Thomas More at the 6:04 mark to give the Saints a 12-3 lead. The margin was 14-5 after Emily Schultz of TMC scored on a layup with 3:42 remaining.

Willamette answered with a jumper by Celine Gregoire (Sr./Jr., P, Woodburn, OR/Woodburn Academy) and a 3-pointer by Towry to pull within 14-10 as the clock reached 0:42 to go in the quarter. Schultz added a layup with 13 seconds left and Eckenrode hit a jumper for WU eight seconds later. Thomas More took a 16-12 advantage into the second period.

A jumper from Kiernan and a layup by Owings increased The Saints' lead to 20-12 with 8:39 remaining in the half. WU cut the margin to 23-16 on a layup by Kali Vickery (Jr., G, Glide, OR/Glide HS) with 6:35 on the clock, and moved as close a 23-19 when Kochenderfer sank a 3-pointer at the 5:58 mark.

Thomas More extended the lead to 29-19, but another 3-pointer by Kochenderfer reduced the deficit to seven points with 4:12 still to be played during the half. The Saints responded with an 8-2 run, ending with a jumper by Kiernan with 1:52 left for a 37-24 lead. TMC's lead reached 42-27 on another jumper from Kiernan with 48 seconds to go, but Kochenderfer hit a 3-pointer for the Bearcats just eight seconds before the end of the half.

The first five points of the third quarter went to the Saints for a 47-32 lead. Temple completed the short run with a 3-point basket. A bit later, Kochenderfer grabbed an offensive rebound for the Bearcats and scored on a jumper to bring Willamette within 51-36. with 5:24 left in the quarter. Temple put together a traditional three-point play 12 seconds later. The Saints owned a 59-40 margin entering the fourth quarter.

Willamette will play in the Hoop N Surf Classic again on Thursday, Dec. 21, when the Bearcats will take on #2-ranked Christopher Newport University (Va.). Game time is set for 11 a.m. HST/1 p.m. PST.