University of St. Thomas Athletics
11-3, 5-2MIAC
Saint Benedict
9-5, 4-3MIAC
Women's basketball back on track with 54-36 win
1/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ST. PAUL – After suffering a 20-point loss on Saturday, the St. Thomas women's basketball team got back on track with a 54-36 win over the College of Saint Benedict on Wednesday night at Schoenecker Arena.
The Tommies used a 17-7 advantage in the second quarter to take an 11-point lead to halftime and would never look back on the way to their 11th win of the season.
Kaitlin Langer was the only Tommie to score in double figures with a game-high 13 points and added seven rebounds. Niki Fokken scored 11 points to lead Saint Ben's, which shot just 30.2-percent (13-43) from the field.
St. Thomas now holds a record of 11-3 overall and 5-2 in the MIAC, while the Blazers drop to 9-5 overall and 4-3 in league play.
Wednesday's first quarter was as frigid as the temperature outside the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex. The two teams scored a combined 15 points as the Tommies held an 8-7 lead. Saint Benedict shot 14.3-percent (1-7), while St. Thomas connected on just three of 15 shot attempts for an even 20-percent.
The second quarter warmed up a bit for the Tommies, as they scored 17 points and held the Blazers to seven to take a 25-14 lead into the half. After falling behind 11-8 in early part of the quarter, St. Thomas closed the period on a 17-3 run, making its last four shots. The run included three three-pointers to close out the half, highlighted by back-to-back triples from Bobbi Brendefur.
From there, the Tommies outscored the Blazers 15-10 in the third quarter and 14-12 in the fourth to seal the 18-point win.
St. Thomas finished the game shooting 40-percent (20-50) from the field and 35.7-percent (5-14) from three, while holding Saint Benedict to just 30.2-percent (13-43) and 9.1-percent (1-11) from behind the arc. The Tommies also won the rebound battle (43-25), but committed 25 turnovers to 18 for the Blazers.
Langer's 13 points and eight rebounds led the way for St. Thomas. Lauren Fischer followed with eight points and seven rebounds, while Bobbi Brendefur and Kaylie Brazil each chipped in eight points off the bench.
Niki Fokken scored a team-high 11 points and grabbed four boards for the Blazers. Alison Newton dropped in nine points as the second-leading scorer.
St. Thomas will be back in action on Saturday when it travels to Winona, Minn., for a showdown with first-place Saint Mary's. That game is scheduled for a 3:00 p.m., tip.
