The Saints turned up their defensive intensity in holding Berea to just one field goal over the last eight minutes of the game. TMC's defensive pressure limited the Mountaineers to just 23 percent shooting in the second half, which was a huge improvement over Berea's 48 percent effort in the first half.
There were 11 lead changes and seven ties before the Saints were able to open the game up late.
With the Saints trailing early, junior guard Andrae Woodard ignited the TMC offense with three straight three-pointers, and when freshman Jered Ferguson was fouled on his dunk - the Thomas More lead was seven.
However, Berea would chip into the Thomas More lead, and eventual take a four-point lead late in the first half. But, Ben Brown's three-pointer at the buzzer cut the TMC deficit to a mere point.
The teams would trade the lead a couple times in the second half before the Saints locked the Berea offense down to pull out the victory.
Sophomore Garry Horton and Woodard each had a game-high 19 points to lead four Thomas More players in double figures. Ferguson finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, while senior Chad Wachs chipped in with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Junior R.K. Thurman and sophomore E.J. Haynes each pulled down eight boards.
Thomas More returns to action Saturday at 3 p.m. when they host LaGrange. The game will feature the official NCAA mascot J.J. Jumper, and all kids under 16 would be admitted into the game free of charge.
Newspaper Box Score Thomas More Saints MEN vs Berea College Mountaineers 01/12/05 7:30 p.m. at Berea, KY - Seabury Center At Berea, KY - Seabury Center THOMAS MORE SAINTS MEN 92, BEREA COLLEGE MOUNTAINEERS 74 THOMAS MORE SAINTS MEN (5-9) Garry Horton 5-8 9-12 19; Andrae Woodard 6-11 4-5 19; Jered Ferguson 6-8 1-2 13; Chad Wachs 5-13 2-3 12; R.K. Thurman 2-7 4-4 8; Ed Thornton 2-7 2-2 7; E.J. Haynes 2-3 3-9 7; Ben Brown 1-4 2-2 5; Michael Selm 1-2 0-0 2; Brad Cutter 0-0 0-0 0; Hiram Metcalfe 0-0 0-0 0; John Walters 0-0 0-0 0; Stephano Kaiser 0-0 0-0 0; Marques Irving 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-63 27-39 92. BEREA COLLEGE MOUNTAINEERS (6-9) Tomas Klimas 5-11 8-9 18; Melvin Brown 4-18 6-10 14; George Webb 5-9 2-5 13; Chris Wilson 3-10 1-2 10; Justin Lee 2-3 3-7 7; Justin Nickels 2-6 0-0 5; Jordan Samuels 1-9 0-0 3; Ben Anderson 1-2 0-0 2; Adam Kirby 1-3 0-0 2; Donnie Hunley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-71 20-33 74. Thomas More Saints MEN........ 45 47 - 92 Berea College Mountaineers.... 46 28 - 74 3-point goals-Thomas More Saints MEN 5-13 (Andrae Woodard 3-6; Ed Thornton 1-1; Ben Brown 1-3; Michael Selm 0-1; Jered Ferguson 0-1; Garry Horton 0-1), Berea College Mountaineers 6-25 (Chris Wilson 3-8; George Webb 1-3; Jordan Samuels 1-6; Justin Nickels 1-3; Adam Kirby 0-2; Ben Anderson 0-1; Melvin Brown 0-2). Fouled out--Thomas More Saints MEN-Jered Ferguson, Berea College Mountaineers-George Webb; Justin Nickels. Rebounds-Thomas More Saints MEN 44 (E.J. Haynes 8), Berea College Mountaineers 47 (Tomas Klimas 14). Assists-Thomas More Saints MEN 9 (R.K. Thurman 4), Berea College Mountaineers 10 (Melvin Brown 5). Total fouls-Thomas More Saints MEN 23, Berea College Mountaineers 26. A-210