The Thomas More College women's basketball team made history this season by attaining its first-ever winning record (18-6).
Tonight, when the Saints play their first NCAA Division III Tournament game, it will take an upset to ensure the history-making doesn't end.
TMC, the South Region's eighth seed, faces top-seed Roanoke College (25-2) at 7 p.m. on the Maroons' home floor, the Best Center, in Salem, Va. The winner plays either Bridgewater (Va.) or Christopher Newport University (Va.) on Saturday.
''We only get a couple days to prepare,'' junior guard Sherry Clinkenbeard said.
''We're just going to go down there and play hard. Good things happen to those who play hard.''
Clinkenbeard, a Walton-Verona High grad and 20-point-per-game
scorer for TMC, recovered from an ankle injury to help the Saints win 16 of their last 19 games.
Also crucial to the Saints' success have been Scott High grad Amy Burk, Division III's 13th-leading scorer (20.3 ppg), and Boone County grad Shannon Galbraith (5.0 assists).
TMC's at-large bid to the 64-team field was a reward for a season in which the team shattered its previous high mark of 13-13, set in 1990 and 1995.
''This means so much to us, I can't even begin to describe it,'' sophomore guard Stephanie Desmond said.
''I feel we have a lot of confidence going in. We're not just happy to be there, we want to win it.''
To knock off Roanoke, TMC must slow down senior center Amy Athey.
Athey leads the team in scoring (16.7 ppg) and rebounding (8.3).
Roanoke had a 22-game winning streak earlier in the season in which Athey was the leading scorer 17 times.
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TMC WOMEN MAKE TOURNEY March 3, 1997
