Tommie WBB uses D, 3s to reach playoff finals

By DOUG HENNES

To Ruth Sinn, postseason basketball is all about "taking care of business."

St. Thomas entered this season ranked No. 12 in NCAA Division III and a favorite to win the MIAC with a senior-laden team that had stars Maggie Weiers, Jenna Dockter and Anna Smith on the floor together for the first time since finishing third in the country in 2012.

The Tommies lived up to their billing with a perfect regular season (25-0, 18-0 MIAC), but Sinn knows that playoffs present new challenges.

Augsburg rolled into Schoenecker Arena Thursday confident after winning its first-ever MIAC playoff game at Concordia, and Sinn emphasized the need for St. Thomas to stick to its formula of an up-tempo offense and a suffocating defense.

The formula worked. The No. 2-ranked Tommies won 63-39 to pick up their third win of the year over Augsburg (15-12) and advance to Saturday's 3 p.m. title game at home against Bethel, a 72-56 winner over St. Mary's.

St. Thomas will attempt to win its fourth consecutive MIAC playoff title and fifth in six seasons, and earn an automatic bid into the Division III playoffs

"We did take care of business tonight," Sinn said. "It's good to get this first win under our belts."

St. Thomas shot 55 percent from the field to 36 percent for Augsburg. The 24-point difference in the game came on 3-pointers, with the Tommies hitting 11 of 20 while Augsburg made only three. Junior guard Katie Stone led the way with a season-high 19 points on five 3-pointers.

"We worked a lot on skipping the ball in practice, where we throw the ball from one side to the other," said Stone, who had three games last season with five 3-pointers. "I was wide open on the skips so I just took the shots. I got good passes and was able to connect."

Senior point guard Jenna Dockter was the other Tommie to finish in double figures as she hit all three of her shots from beyond the arc en route to 17 points. She had an almost-perfect night, making two other field goals and going 4 for 5 from the free-throw line.

"We emphasize getting the ball inside to our posts, and they do a great job of kicking it out if they're covered," Dockter said. "I just happened to knock a few down tonight."

St. Thomas' defense, ranked third nationally in allowing only 48.8 points per game, set a school record against Augsburg for fewest points allowed in a postseason game. The previous low was 41 in a road win at Wartburg in 1999.

Augsburg hangs close early

St. Thomas grabbed early leads of 11-3 and 17-5 before Augsburg went on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 17-13. But the Tommies closed the half with a 24-7 run over the last 5:43 as Stone hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Dockter followed with eight points in a row, including two treys.

"We had to start playing more with our heart instead of our head," Sinn said, referring to the excitement of a playoff opener and how her team let the Auggies stay close in the first 15 minutes. "We shored up our defense and pushed the ball harder on offense, and it paid off."

Stone agreed with her coach. "We were excited more than nervous," she said. "We just had to get this first game underway."

The Tommies stretched their lead to 28 points twice in a second half characterized by low scoring – 23-19 in favor of the home team – and 15 St. Thomas turnovers.

"We need to do a better job of controlling the ball," Sinn said. "We can't be that sloppy with our passes against Bethel."

In the Royals (21-5), St. Thomas will face a team that was the only MIAC opponent to come within 10 points of the Tommies in 19 games this season. They played Bethel only once, winning 81-77 eight days ago in Arden Hills.

Bethel struggled from the field Thursday night, shooting 34 percent to St. Mary's 30 percent, but ran away from the Cardinals in the second half after leading only 35-30 at the break.

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Team Stats

Katie Stone

Jenna Dockter

Alyssa Favilla

Maggie Weiers

Players Mentioned

Jenna Dockter

Anna Smith

Katie Stone

Maggie Weiers

University of St. Thomas Athletics