'Nothing can really scare us.' Thomas More women move to NAIA Sweet 16 with final home win

CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. – The seniors on the Thomas More University women’s basketball team played their last game on the floor at the Connor Convocation Center Wednesday night. And the Saints played their final home game as members of the NAIA before moving to NCAA Division II next season.

The Saints had a finale to remember, defeating Concordia (Neb.) 98-69 in the second round of the NAIA national tournament Wednesday.

TMU, reigning NAIA champions and 28-3 overall, advances to the NAIA national finals next week in Sioux City, Iowa. TMU will play Mid-South Conference foe University of the Cumberlands Tuesday night in the round of 16. The Saints will have to win four games next week in Iowa to win another national championship.

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The national tournament was in the same arena last year, so the Saints have experience there. In the 2022 national championship game, TMU played Dordt, a team from Iowa located near Sioux City that had plenty of fans there. TMU could face Dordt again in Wednesday’s quarterfinal round.

“Most of us have already been there so we’re used to the big scene and the crowd,” TMU senior guard Courtney Hurst said. “Nothing can really scare us. We’ve already faced all that crowd, so at this point, we just play our game.”

Said TMU head coach Jeff Hans: “They know what’s at stake. They’re a veteran group. Everybody wants what we have. They want to knock us off. That’s how it is. This team hasn’t won anything yet. We have to prove ourselves.”

3 Keys to Thomas More’s win

• The Saints posted their second-highest point total of the year and hit 18 3-pointers, one off their season-high of 19. The Saints, who average 10 3-point makes per game coming in, hit 18-of-34 3-pointers (52.9 percent) and 32-of-55 from the field overall (58.2 percent).

TMU hit six 3-pointers in the final minutes of the second quarter to build an 18-point lead (48-30) over the Bulldogs. Concordia consistently tried to fight its way back but could not threaten the Saints in the second half.

“Sometimes we hit some streaks, but pretty much in the beginning when we hit those first few, we would be OK,” Hurst said. “We just feed off each other. We knew when they pressed, they gave up a lot of outside shots, and even in their halfcourt defense, they were going to come from opposite sides of the post. We knew those outside shots were going to be open.”

Hans said a three to open the game from Thomas More freshman Rylee Turner, a standout at Newport Central Catholic, was a big lift as she had been struggling from 3-point range and Concordia sagged off of her on defense.

Said Hans: “We’ve done it (hit a lot of threes) a few times but not in this type of situation against that type of team. We were focused tonight, even on defense because those guys can score. They put you in really tough spots.”

• Thomas More was efficient against Concordia’s pressure defense, committing only 14 turnovers against a team that forced 19 per game.

“We did a really good job of handling their pressure for the most part, making them play when they had to trap us to get back in the game,” Hans said. “You make 18 threes, I don’t know what to say, that’s taking advantage of what they gave us.”

• Thomas More played with more aggressiveness and confidence than the Saints had been lately. TMU took two straight losses heading into the national tournament against conference foes Pikeville and Shawnee State, and the Saints needed to regroup and did so this week.

“It’s been that way for 12 years,” Hans said. “Let it fly. I don’t want to play scared. At the end of the year, we were doing that a little more. We were playing not to lose instead of being successful and winning. We talked about that and we’ve been better. If you have an open look, take it.”

Top performers

Zoie Barth and Courtney Hurst: The two senior guards from Highlands and Conner, respectively, have been starting since their freshman season and led the way against Concordia.

Barth scored 22 points, hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers and also had four assists and seven rebounds. Hurst scored 16 points and hit four 3-pointers.

Both enter the NAIA Sweet 16 with over 1,400 career points with the Saints. They have cracked the top 10 on the school scoring list and have a chance to rise on the list next week and possibly enter the top five. Hurst already has the career 3-point record with 323, including 86 this season.

“Courtney’s been starting since she was a freshman,” Hans said. “(She and Zoie) been the rock of our team, building on what we’ve done in the past. I know there were some ups and downs their first year, throw two freshman guards out there and say 'here you go in the Mid-South, take the lumps.' It’s put us in a really good spot right now. You talk about leaving It better than you found it, and they’ve done that.”

Hurst said, “It’s a surreal moment. You don’t think about it until you’re actually walking off the floor. It’s crazy. Zoie and I have been playing together for four years. I love playing with her. It’ll be sad to leave here, but a lot of the crowd will be coming with us, so that’s exciting.”

Others: Seven players in all contributed to the onslaught of 18 3-pointers. Turner finished with 14 points and two 3-pointers. Junior Rachel Martin from Summit Country Day scored 12 points with 3 triples, and also had 3 assists. Senior starter Emily Simon posted 9 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Junior Alex Smith from Mercy McAuley scored 13 points with 3 triples. Junior Kelly Brenner scored 5 points with one 3-pointer. Junior Maggie Jones from Simon Kenton had 5 points and one 3-pointer.