NASHVILLE – The Trevecca Nazarene University women's basketball team (2-3) earned a key non-conference win over Thomas More University (1-4) 53-48 in Trojan Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon.
THE SERIES
The Trojans and Saints have met three times, with Trevecca owning a 2-1 all-time series lead. Both teams won on their home floor last season when Trevecca was a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Playing in their first home game of the regular season, the Trojans got off to a hot start on the offensive end. Trevecca, led by baskets from four different scorers, led 10-4 at the media timeout. After TMU battled back to make it a 14-12 game with just under two minutes to play in the quarter, the Trojans rattled off the last four points of the frame to lead 18-12.
The second quarter was unfriendly to both sides, offensively. In total the Trojans managed nine points, as Trevecca maintained its six-point lead at the break, 27-21.
In the opening minutes of the third, the Saints trimmed it to a 31-30 game before back-to-back Trojan baskets pushed it back to a five-point game. A 6-0 run by TMU tied the game at 36-36 with just over a minute to play in the third. Both sides hit a bucket with under a minute to go and entered the fourth tied, 38-38.
The Trojans scored the opening eight points of the fourth to pad their lead 46-38. After the Saints made it a five-point game with 2:34 to play, a clutch jumper by
Tatum Shaw restored a seven-point Trojan lead with just over two minutes to play. Some defensive pressure tuned up the Trojans late, but foul shots iced the game, 53-48.
THE TEAM
Trevecca shot 38.6% from the field. The Trojans were 4-18 (22.2%) from deep and shot 5-10 (50.0%) at the free-throw line. TMU grabbed one more rebound, 35-34, had one more block, 6-5 and created one additional steal, 5-4. The Trojans led in assists 14-10.
THE PLAYERS
Jeannae Bolin stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high 14 points and 14 rebounds to round off the double-double.
Tatum Shaw also touched double figures with 11 points.
Jenissa Varela added four points, four rebounds and three steals.
UP NEXT
The Trojans gear up for Thanksgiving with their first-ever Gulf South Conference game against the University of Alabama-Huntsville (2-1, 0-0 GSC) on Wednesday, November 27 at 1:00 p.m.
Trevecca and Alabama-Huntsville have battled 12 times in the NCAA Div. II era. The Trojans lead the all-time series 9-3 having beaten the Chargers in Huntsville in the only game played last season.
