Box Score
By
EMILY LOOF
Saint Mary’s Sports Information Office
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Coming into Friday’s NCAA Division III national championship semifinal matchup, defending champion Amherst was one of four undefeated teams remaining in all levels of NCAA women’s basketball.
And the Mammoths’ run at perfection remained unchanged, as Amherst downed Thomas More 66-48 to return to the national championship game for a second straight year.
The Saints came out strong, winning the opening tip and dominating the first five minutes of play. The game’s first basket was a 3-pointer by the Saints’ Taylor Jolly (Alexandria, Ky.) and the Saints extended their lead to 5-0 off a basket by Nikki Kiernan (Cold Spring, Ky.).
The Mammoths, however quickly snapped out of their dry spell, draining several baskets en route taking their first lead of the game, 7-5, with 4:44 remaining in the first quarter. The Mammoths would go on to score 13 unanswered points—a streak that was finally broken by a pair of free throws from Thomas More’s Madison Temple (Cincinnati, Ohio).
At the end of the first 10 minutes, Amherst had secured a 10-point lead, 21-11—with 10 of those 21 first-quarter points belonging to Amherst standout Emma McCarthy (Shelton, Conn.).
“I thought we showed a lot of resiliency tonight,” said Thomas More head coach Jeff Hans. “It was tough all night, and we haven’t had too many of those nights. But we fought all night, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Thomas More again started the second quarter off strong, scoring four points to draw back within single digits. Not for long, however—Amherst brought their lead back to 10 with a four-point response of its own. The Saints would not diminish the Mammoths’ lead to less than eight points for the remainder of the second quarter, and the teams entered the locker rooms for halftime with Amherst leading 29-20.
Play was more balanced to open the third quarter, as the teams traded baskets at both ends of the court. The Saints drew back within five points thanks to a drive by Temple, followed by a breakaway layup by Shelby Rupp (Milan, Ind.), with 5:17 remaining in the third frame.
And the back-and-forth play would continue, as the Mammoths’ lead grew to eight points, and then fell back down to six—twice. The Saints’ Emily Schultz (Melbourne, Ky.) then diminished the Mammoth lead to four points with a steal and layup.
But the dramatics of the third quarter were not finished. Temple brought the Kentucky half of the crowd to their feet with a 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining, bringing the Mammoths’ lead to just one point—only to have the Mammoths’ Cam Hendricks (Glastonbury, Conn.) drain a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lead her team into the game’s final 10 minutes holding a narrow four-point lead, 43-39.
Amherst’s Hannah Hackley (Westford, Mass.), however, kept a cool head, knocking down a long two-pointer to bring the Mammoth’s lead back to five. But the Saints’ Abby Owings (Independence, Ky.) answered with a jumper of her own, continuing the second-half teeter-totter antics.
But Amherst would never surrender the lead they gained in the game’s first six minutes, and their cool heads in the game’s high-action final minutes paid off. The Mammoths scored seven unanswered points, three of which were free throws, to again take a 10-point lead, 51-41.
That lead would only grow, thanks in part to five fourth-quarter fouls by the Saints. Hackley led her team with points in the fourth quarter, scoring seven points, all of which came from behind the foul line. When the dust settled, the Mammoths defeated the Saints by a sound 16 points.
“I’m really proud of my team and how they handled all of Thomas More’s runs,” said Amherst head coach G.P. Gromacki. “The score does not reflect how close this game was.”
McCarthy finished with 19 points for the Saints, the team high. Madeline Eck (Rye, N.Y.), followed with 11 points, while Hackley finished with 10.
Meanwhile, the Saints—who ended the year 30-2—were led by Temple, who finished with 14 points, and Jolly, who contributed nine.
The Mammoths will go head-to-head with the winner of the second semifinal match between Wartburg and Bowdoin for the national championship Saturday evening at the Mayo Civic Center. Opening tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST.
