Sports Editor
Perfection, as the New England Patriots reminded us, isn't easy to achieve.
That's why when the bus for the Thomas More College women's basketball team rolled to a stop Wednesday afternoon on the Washington & Jefferson campus, the Saints weren't thinking about being one of only three remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division III or having a 21-game winning streak.
The only streak Thomas More focused on was a inauspicious one.
The Saints were 0-4 against W&J at Henry Memorial Center.
"You better believe I brought that up before the game," Thomas More coach Brian Neal said. "I told our players that I wasn't trying to put added pressure on them, but we've never beaten W&J in this building."
Consider the Henry Hex over.
Playing with the energy and intensity befitting its No. 5 national ranking, Thomas More looked every bit a team that can make a deep run in the national tournament as it cruised to a 59-47 victory over upset-minded W&J. The win clinched the Presidents' Athletic Conference regular-season title for Thomas More (13-0, 22-0) and assured it home-court advantage for the league tournament.
Thomas More never trailed and the score was tied only once, 2-2. The Saints' man-to-man defense forced 13 W&J turnovers in the first half, which ended with Thomas More leading 27-18. The Saints led by as many as 22 points midway through the second half before W&J (9-3, 16-6) made a late charge.
"We needed this game," Neal said. "And W&J needed to win this game, too. They're in the hunt for an NCAA tournament berth, and beating us would have been a huge boost."
Instead, the Presidents were never able to generate enough offense, especially from the perimeter, to fuel a serious challenge. The Presidents shot 31 percent from the field and missed 11 free throws.
"If we make eight of those free throws that we missed, then it's a four-point game and that changes the entire complexion of the game," W&J coach Jina DeRubbo said. "The missed free throws were the most disappointing thing to me.
"There also were too many turnovers. Some were forced, some were not. You can't dig yourself a 10-point hole and expect to beat a team like that."
The 12-point margin of victory was the smallest for Thomas More against PAC competition. It was the Saints' closest game since Dec. 19 when they defeated Wittenberg, 56-53.
"They have everything they need," DeRubbo said. "They are very balanced."
Balanced yes, but the hub of the team is junior guard Jayme Thiem, who is in her first season with the Saints after transferring from Division I Eastern Kentucky. Thiem scored a game-high 19 points, including nine when Thomas More pulled away early in the second half.
Thiem and 6-0 freshman center Nicole Dickman have made an immediate impact for the Saints.
"This team is by far the best we've had," said Neal, who knows a little about championship teams as he was an assistant coach at Northern Kentucky when it won the Division II national title in 2000.
"The difference from what we've had in the past is the size in the post with Nicole, and Jayme giving us a player who can score 20 points a game. You combine those with a team that has been together for three years and everything has come together at the right time."
After trailing 46-24, W&J managed a 10-2 run, sparked by the play of reserve forward Jen Rogers. The senior from Imperial had seven points during the spurt, finished with a team-high 13 and was one of the few scoring options for the Presidents.
"Jen has played very well lately, both offensively and defensively," DeRubbo said. "She's a good rebounder and takes the ball to the basket."
Even with sparks from Rogers and Sarah Hunt, who came off the bench to score 11 points and grab a game-high 10 rebounds, W&J could get no closer than 11 points at 56-45.
Tandrea Sellers scored 12 points and Dickman had 10 for Thomas More, which earlier in the day was ranked No. 1 in the first Great Lakes Region poll of the season. Unbeaten Hope, which is ranked No. 1 in the nation, is second in the Great Lakes.
"This game was a major challenge," Neal said. "To play this long and not have a slip-up, it's very impressive. And I'm not easily impressed. At least our kids don't have to hear about the winning streak all the time like the Patriots did."