The Saints used a 14-point first half advantage, 53-39, to get the victory. With the score tied 28-28 at the 8:46 mark of the first half, Thompson scored on a layup to give the Saints a 30-28 lead en route to a 25-11 run to close out the first half that put them in command.
Thomas More stretched its 14-point halftime lead to as many as 20 points in the second half before Temple Baptist cut the lead to 11 points, 79-68, with 4:20 remaining in the game. However, the Rams could not get any closer after cutting the lead to 11 points on four occassions in the final four-plus minutes.
Wachs and Thompson paced Thomas More in the opening half as they combined for 25 points, 13 and 12, respectively. Thompson scored 10 of his points in a span of 5:19 during the Saints' run to close the half up 14 points. Junior guard Marcus Johnson was also instrumental in Thomas More's run as he added all eight of his first half points in the final 2:35 as he and Thompson combined for 18 of the team's 25 points over the final 8:46.
Wachs finished with a strong all-around performance, adding six assists, five steals and two blocks to his 18 points and 15 rebounds. Thompson, who has missed seven games due to injury this year, led the team in scoring for the first time since the third game of the season when he had 12 points against Northern Kentucky on Nov. 26. Sophomore guard Andrae Woodard scored 15 points while Johnson finished with 12 points in 14 minutes of limited playing time. Senior guard Paul Hardy and sophomore center R.K. Thurman just missed double figures with nine and eight points, respectively. Thurman also had 12 rebounds as he and Wachs combined for 27 of the team's season-high 56 rebounds.
In the first half, the Saints beat the Rams at their own running game as they held a 22-9 edge in fast break points at halftime. Thomas More also added 14 points off of 11 Temple Baptist turnovers while shooting 54.1-percent from the floor.
For Temple Baptist, Kevin Sowell led the way with a game-high 27 points, one above his season average, while also totaling a team-high 10 rebounds, nine steals and six assists. Anton Sheafe had 16 points and William Gaines and Jordan Ferrell added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Gaines also had a complete performance this afternoon with eight assists, six rebounds and five steals.
Temple Baptist forced a season-high 31 turnovers from Thomas More, one more than the Saints had in made field goals. Back on Jan. 28, Thomas More committed 30 turnovers in a loss to Rose-Hulman. However, the Rams were hurt by shooting only 28.0-percent from the floor in second half, 32.3-percent for the game and 20.0-percent from three-point range. Sowell, Sheafe and Gaines combined to go 21-for-72, including 7-of-35 on three-point attempts.
Thomas More returns to action on Monday, Feb. 9 against in-state rival Centre at 7:30 p.m. in Connor Convocation Center. The Saints will be looking for revenge against the Colonels who have already beaten Thomas More twice at home this season, 87-83 back on Dec. 30 and 81-72 on Jan. 6.