University of St. Thomas Athletics
26-1
Gustavus Adolphus
20-7
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| GAC-WOM | 23 | 31 | 54 |
| St. Thomas | 38 | 28 | 66 |
Late run lets W.Basketball claim MIAC playoff title
2/25/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Sophomore center Maggie Weiers had 18 points and 19 rebounds and the host Tommies (26-1) used a 10-1 game-closing run over the final 5:00 to outlast the stubborn Gusties (20-7), 66-54, in Saturday's MIAC women's basketball playoff title game at UST's Schoenecker Arena.
Senior forward Sarah Smith also had a double double with 15 points and 11 boards for UST, which took the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA playoffs.
It was the Tommies' second MIAC playoff title in the last three seasons under Coach Ruth Sinn but first on their home court. It aslo marked the first time the St. Thoms women swept both the regular-season and playoff titles in the 12 years the format has been in place.
It was the 19th time in 27 games that UST has held an opponent under 55 points.
The Tommies improved to 13-0 at home, extended their winning streak to 26 and beat the Gusties for the seventh time in a row, but not without a scare.
St. Thomas had a 20-point late first-half lead trimmed to 15 at halftime. Gustavus' pressure defense then helped cut the margin to just two points with 10:40 to play.
A 3-pointer by Steph Comer pulled GAC within 56-53 with 5:08 remaining, but they didn't make a field goal the rest of the way and missed their last seven shots.
Kelsey Florian scored 12 points off the bench to lead Gustavus. Colleen Ruane had 11 points and four steals, Molly Geske added 10 points and Abby Rothenbuehler added nine rebounds. GAC had only 10 turnovers but shot just 33 percent from the floor.
Weiers had 11 of her 18 points in the second half and finished 7-of-8 from the field. Her 19 boards were the most by an MIAC player in the last four seasons and the most by a Tommie in more than 10 seasons.
Ali Johnson sank three treys and finished with 11 points. UST had a 47-29 rebounding advantage.
Click here for box score:
http://www.tommiesports.com/wbb/stats/2-25-wbb.htm
Anna Smith (33) (Thomas Whisenand photo)
Taylor Young (22) (Thomas Whisenand photo)
The Tommies celebrate a hard-fought win. (Thomas Whisenand photo)
Kelly Brandenburg (13) (Thomas Whisenand photo)
An MIAC sweep (Thomas Whisenand photo)
