CRESCENT HILLS, KY – The 6-time AMCC Champion La Roche College Lady Redhawks traveled to Thomas More on Friday to take on the nation's top ranked team in an NCAA Tournament First Round game. The defending National Champion Thomas More Saints came up on the winning end of the elimination game defeating the Lady Redhawks 102-67. Thomas More has now won sixty-one straight dating back to last season.
The game was a story of two halves with La Roche struggling to find their groove in the first half. The Lady Redhawks shot just 19% (5 of 27) from the field in the first and entered intermission in a 52-19 hole. Thomas More converted 57% (21 of 37) of their field goals and used their size advantage to outscore La Roche 32-4 in the paint.
The Lady Redhawks nearly equaled Thomas More in the second half scoring 48 points to the Saints' 50. They used a 15-2 run between the third and fourth quarters to put a scare in Thomas More but the deficit was too much to overcome as the Saints moved on. La Roche shot 58% (19 of 33) over the final two quarters and TiChina Mitchell scored 19 second half points.
Mitchell finished with a team-high 23 points and hit 3 of 4 shots from downtown. Sabrina McLin and Mackenzie O'Donnell both reached double figures with 16 and 15 points and Gloria Schifino was incredible on the boards with 8 rebounds.
Despite the loss, the Lady Redhawks enjoyed a spectacular ride earning their conference record sixth consecutive AMCC Title and a berth to their sixth straight NCAA Tournament. La Roche returns its entire roster next season and is primed to make another long postseason run.