News Release

CRESTVIEW HILLS, KY — Thomas More dominated the second half en route to its third-straight victory, all at home, 100-89 over LaGrange on Saturday. Junior center Chad Wachs led five players in double figures with a game-high 23 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the floor. The Saints outscored the Panthers 60-35 in the second half, erasing a 16-point first half deficit to improve their record to 6-9 this season.

The last time the team won at least three-straight at home was during the 1998-99 season when the Saints beat Ohio Wesleyan on Jan. 27, Spalding on Feb. 3 and Maryville (TN) on Feb. 20. Saturday's win also gave Thomas More its first three-game winning streak overall since the 1998-99 season. The longest winning streak for Thomas More under Head Coach Terry Connor is six games during the 1997-98 season. The record for the most consecutive wins at home under Connor is five, set during the 1998-99 season.

The Saints trailed by 16 points before a jumper by Wachs with 27 seconds left cut the lead to 54-40 at halftime. Combined with the first 7:44 of the second half, Thomas More outscored the Panthers, 25-9, to take a 65-63 lead on a three-pointer by senior forward Paul Hardy. It marked the first time since the 18:36 mark of the first half, that the Saints held the lead.

Hardy, who finished the game with 12 points, not only gave the Saints the lead for good with his three, but was instrumental in the team's comeback. Down 13 points with 15:17 to play, he scored on a layup to cut the lead to 11 points. He then had an assist on a three-pointer by freshman guard Garry Horton that cut the Panther lead to eight, 63-55, before back-to-back steals led to a jumper by Wachs to trim the deficit to one and his three-pointer to give Thomas More the lead.

In making their 15-0 run to take a two-point lead, the Saints held LaGrange scoreless for 3:45 while forcing five turnovers. Freshman forward E.J. Haynes also made some big contributions off of the bench for Thomas More, helping put to the Saints in front. In seven second half minutes, Haynes scored nine points and grabbed three rebounds. As a whole, Thomas More's bench outscored the Panthers', 30-22.

The Saints played without freshman guard Will Adams who had started all 13 of the games he has played in this season. In his place, the coaching staff went with freshman guard Chris Hill. Despite losing Adams, Thomas More welcomed back junior guard Marcus Johnson and sophomore guard Chris Thompson, the team's third and fourth leading scorers, respectively.

In his first collegiate start, Hill had 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. He joined Wachs, Hardy, Thompson, who had 11 points, and sophomore center R.K. Thurman, who had 17 points, in double figure scoring for Thomas More. Thurman also added a game-high 12 rebounds, posting his fourth career double-double in the last seven games as the Saints held a 60-38 advantage in points in the paint.

Brett Huckle led LaGrange with 18 points while Bart Payne added 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. After scoring 11 points in the game's first six minutes, including two dunks, Mark Isenhour finished with 16 points followed by Dale Lomax who had 10 points.

The next game for Thomas More will be on Wednesday, Jan. 28 when the Saints welcome Rose-Hulman to Connor Convocation Center. Game time is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.