Saints Push Past Tigers With Sharp Shooting

Sarah Watson

Senior Sarah Watson led the Tigers in scoring for the fourth time in 2011-12 with 12 points Saturday against Thomas More.

File Photo | Erin Pence

CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. — Thomas More hit nine three-point field goals in finding a way past the Wittenberg women's basketball team, which fell to 3-5 overall following a 78-62 loss to the Saints on Saturday afternoon.

Thomas More, ranked 17th in the WBCA Div. III Top 25 Coaches Poll, made the most of their home court advantage in finishing the contest with a mark of 47 percent from beyond the three-point arc. The Saints moved to 7-1 on the season.

The Tigers hit 19 field goals, led by four each for senior Sarah Watson (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) and freshman Katelyn Haralamos (Maineville, Ohio/Kings). Watson posted a 4-for-6 performance at the free throw stripe to finish with a team-best 12 points and Haralamos was 3-for-3 at the line for 11 points, her best scoring performance yet as a Tiger.

Watson and Haralamos were just a part of a solid free throw outing for Wittenberg, which as a team went 21-for-28 behind a 4-for-4 day for sophomore Amber Rice (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) and 3-for-4 marks for freshman Amber Lara (Oak Park, Ill./River Forest) and junior Kim Replogle (Houston, Ohio/Houston).

Lara finished the game third in scoring for Wittenberg with nine points, followed by freshman Enri Small (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus School For Girls) with eight and seven for Lara and Replogle, who cracked 300 points for her career.

Haralamos led the way on the boards with five, although as a team the Tigers faced a 44-28 rebounding deficit in the game.

Wittenberg controlled the ball well with an eight-turnover advantage over the Saints, but more impressively wrangling 19 steals, the team's highest total since 21 against Wooster on Feb. 2, 2008, when five Tigers had three or more steals.

With four each on the day, Lara, Watson and senior Lyndsey Clark (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) became the first Tiger trio to each post four or more steals since Amber Bishop (4), Haley Warden (4) and Brittany Landreth (5) accomplished the feat in a 51-49 win over Savannah College of Art & Design at the Hope College Subway Shootout on Dec. 5, 2003.

Wittenberg breaks camp for Christmas, returning to the court for the Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic on Thursday, Dec. 29, and Saturday, Dec. 30, beginning with a 2:15 p.m. matchup with Rose-Hulman Insitute of Technology on Thursday at Pam Evans Smith Arena.

John Strawn '07