University of St. Thomas Athletics
Omaha
Game Notes - Women’s Basketball opens first Summit League Series at home against Omaha and Denver
12/17/2021 3:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Coming Up
St. Thomas Women's Basketball continues a five-game home stand after spending much of November on the road. The Tommies hosted a pair of non-conference games against Idaho State and Northland before welcoming a pair of Summit League opponents in Omaha and Denver before the Christmas holiday.
The Purple are coming off their third win of the season as they defeated Northland College, 92-19, this past Wednesday in St. Paul.
As a team, the Tommies are averaging just under 58 points per game and 31 rebounds per game.
Individually, grad student F Erin Norling is leading the team with 13.5 points per game. Norling is connecting on 44 percent (43-of-98) of her shots from the field and 33 percent (14-of-42) of her shots from behind the arc. Freshman G Jade Hill is averaging 12.0 points per game through her first eight collegiate contests. Hill also leads St. Thomas with 24 assists on the season.
About Omaha
The Omaha Mavericks enter the contest with a 4-4 overall record. The Mavericks most recently defeated Northern Colorado 48-41.
Omaha has suffered losses at No. 12 Iowa State (65-38), and at Kansas (81-56) to name a couple.
As a team, the Mavericks are averaging 57.6 points per game and shooting 39 percent from the field and 27 percent from behind the arc.
Individually, the Mavericks are led by Senior F Mariah Murdie, who is averaging 12.4 points per game. Senior C Elena Pilakouta is the only other Omaha player averaging double-figures, she contributes 10.8 points per game.
About Denver
Denver enters the first week of Summit League action with a 5-6 record, and will face Western Illinois before coming to the Twin Cities on Wednesday. After a four overtime game on Dec. 10 at Butler, which the Pioneers won, they fell to Purdue on Dec. 12, 101-68.
The Pioneers enter Summit League play averaging just under 72 points per game and allow just over 76 points per game to their opponents. Denver is connecting on 42 percent of its shots from the field and 32 percent from behind the arc and is being outrebounded by just under five rebounds per game.
Individually, junior F Uju Ezeudu, senior G Anna Jackson, and junior G Meghan Boyd lead the scoring efforts with 16.1, 12.8, and 12.7 points per game, respectively entering conference play.
Last Time Out The St. Thomas women's basketball team scored a season-high 92 points as it cruised to its second win in three games with a 92-19 victory over Northland College on Wednesday.
The Purple used all 15 players on roster and 14 made their way into the scoring column as St. Thomas poured in a season high 92 points. All 15 players on roster played at least 10 minutes in the victory and no player saw more than 18 minutes on the floor.
The Tommies jumped out to an early 24-0 lead after the first quarter of play, after the Lumberjills went 0-12 from the field in the first quarter. St. Thomas connected on 10-of-22 of its shots from the field in the opening 10 minutes, including 2-of-9 attempts from behind the arc.
St. Thomas took a 54-7 lead into intermission being an 11-point first-half effort by freshman G Jade Hill and a 10-point effort from freshman C Jo Langbehn.
The Purple connected on 50 percent (22-of-44) of their shots from the field, including 29 percent (5-of-17) from behind the three-point line and held the largest lead of 47 points. 11 of the Tommies' 22 made baskets came off an assist in the first 20 minutes. 22 of St. Thomas' 54 points were second-chance points and 23 points were fast-break points.
The third quarter saw the Tommies outscore the Jills 20-6 extending the Purple's lead to 74-13 with 10 minutes remaining. St. Thomas connected on 8-of-19 (42 percent) of its field goal attempts in the third frame.
In the fourth quarter, St. Thomas connected on 8-of-16 of its shots from the field and added 18 points compared to six from the Jills.
As a team, the Tommies made 48 percent (38-of-79) of their shots from the field. St. Thomas out rebounded Northland an astounding 62 rebounds to only 17 from the Jills and forced 26 Northland turnovers.
The St. Thomas bench scored 60 of the team's 92 point, while 60 of the 92 points came in the paint and 35 of the points were scored on a second-chance effort.
Individually, Hill was one of three Tommies to net double-digit points, finishing with a game-high 13 points. Langbehn contributed 11 points, while Junior F Abby Mackenthun added 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
Conference Standings
As the Tommies enter their first Summit League games, they are towards the top of a handful of statistic across the conference.
Below are the top-five team and individual rankings and statistics for all games by the 10 conference schools this season.
Rank - Category - Stat
Team
4th - Offensive Rebounding - 11.4 per game
4th - Defensive Rebounding - 34.6 per game
Individual
6th - Minutes - J. Hill, 32.6 per game
8th - Free-Throw Percentage - J. Hill, .778
10th - Scoring - E. Norling, 12.8 per game
Tommie Leader
Head coach Ruth Sinn is in her 17th season at St. Thomas in 2021-22. Her overall record of 359-95, including a mark of 356-88 in Division III averages out to be a 27-4 over the last nine full seasons.
Sinn returned three starters from a 6-1 team in a shortened 2020-21 season. St. Thomas finished 21-6 in 2019-20, just after a senior-led Tommie team in 2018-19 reached the D-III Final Four with a 30-2 finish.
Second-Quarter Strong
St. Thomas has been playing its best ball in the second quarter of games. The Purple have outscored their opponents 188-176 in the second quarter of their games this season, averaging 18.8 points per second quarter.
Super-Senior Leadership
Grad Student F Kaia Porter ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 6.9 points per game. Porter ranks second on the team in three-point shooting connecting on 15-of-43 attempts on the season from behind the arc. Porter also averages 3.3 rebounds per game and has dished out 19 assists through the first 10 games of the season.
Grad Student F Erin Norling transferred from Wayne State to join the Tommies in their inaugural D-I season. She leads St. Thomas 13.0 points per game. Norling is connecting on 45 percent (52-of-116) of her shots from the field and 33 percent (17-of-51) of her shots from behind the arc.
Schedule Talk
The Toms had six November contests, including four on the road and one on a neutral court. They are now scheduled to play six of seven December games at home. They open Summit League play here in Schoenecker Arena on Dec. 20 and 22 against Omaha and Denver.
Did You Know?
St. Thomas is scheduled to play games in 10 different states and all four time zones this season with trips to Wisconsin, Illinois, California, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, South Dakota and North Dakota.
Tommie Opponents' Last Season W-L
St. Thomas will play 18 games against its nine Summit League foes and nine other non-conference games against D-I opponents. Here's what those 18 teams did last season for won-loss records:
Wisconsin (5-19)
Illinois State (16-9)
South Carolina State (1-9)
Presbyterian (11-10)
Cal Poly (13-11)
North Texas (13-7)
Northern Iowa (17-13)
Chicago State (0-14)
Idaho State (22-4)
Omaha (7-13)
Denver (7-16)
Western Illinois (8-16)
Oral Roberts (6-15)
Kansas City (10-12)
North Dakota State (15-9)
North Dakota (2-19)
South Dakota State (21-4)
South Dakota (19-6)
Family Ties
Freshman guard Jade Hill is the younger sister of WNBA player and former Ohio State standout Tayler Hill.
Freshman forward Jordyn Lamker is the daughter of Tommie All-America WBB player Amy Bot and daughter of Augsburg University head football coach Darrin Lamker.
Transfer forward Maggie Negaard is the younger sister of former St. Thomas swimmer Tom Negaard, a nine-time conference championin relays and individual races here from 2015-19. Their grandfather Jack played basketball at Drake (1949-50).
Tommie Players
#4 Jade Hill: 5-6, Fr., G...2021-22: Started all 10 games and averages a team-high 33.1 minutes per game...averages 12.0 points per game and 2.4 assists per game.
#12 Jordyn Glynn: 5-9, Jr., G…2021-22: Appeared in 10 games with six starts...averages 3.5 points and 4.3 rebounds through 10 games...D-III: Played in 23 games and scored 33 points.
#13 Gabby Johnson: 5-8, Fr., G...2021-22: Played in eight games...contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds.
#14 Jordyn Lamker: 6-0, Fr., F...2021-22: Appeared in nine games for the Purple...scored 16 points and hauled in 16 rebounds.
#15 Phoebe Frentzel: 5-9, Fr., G...2021-22: Played all 10 games for St. Thomas...contributed 19 points and seven rebounds.
#20 Sammy Opichka: 6-0, Fr., F...2021-22: Made Collegiate debut against Northland...scored seven points, recorded one rebound and one steal.
#22 Erin Norling: 5-11, Grad Student, F...2021-22: Started all 10 games...averages 13.0 points per game...connecting on 45 percent (52-of-116) of her shots from the field and 33 percent (17-of-51) of her shots from behind the arc...Previously: Wayne State University… played four years at D-II Wayne State; recorded 1,597 career points, scored in double figures in 84 games, 4X all-conference, and twice voted onto the elite CoSIDA Academic All-America team… in 2020-21 was voted Northern Sun Conference South Division Player of the Year... led team in scoring (16.3) and rebounding (6.8), ranking fourth in the NSIC in scoring and eighth in rebounding.
#23 Maggie Negaard: 5-10, Sr., G...2021-22: Started all 10 games for the Purple...averages 6.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game...Previously: Drake University…played in 78 games at Drake
#24 Abby Mackenthun: 5-11, Jr., F…2021-22: Played six games...averages 2.0 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, while playing 3.5 minutes per game...D-III: played in 34 games and has recorded 156 points, 48 assists, 166 rebounds.
#25 Katelyn Stanley: 5-8, So., G…2021-22: Has yet to appear in a game...D-III: Started in all seven games as a freshman; scored 58 points, 21 assists, and secured 43 rebounds; shot 89% from the foul line and hit 10 3-pointers... career highs include 14 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals.
#32 Kaia Porter: 5-11, Grad Student, G/F…2021-22: Has played in all 10 games with five starts...averages 6.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game...D-III: in 71 games over parts of four seasons in D-III she had 716 points, 278 rebounds and 147 assists; started as a sophomore on Tommies' 30-2 Final Four team.… career highs include 23 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals.
#33 Brynn Schwanz: 6-0, So., F…2021-22: Appeared in four games...has recorded two rebounds...D-III: Missed 2020-21 season with an injury.
#34 Jo Langbehn: 6-2, Fr., C...2021-22: Played all 10 games for St. Thomas...averages 5.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
#35 Kate Burns: 6-2, So., C…2021-22: Started all nine games she's played...averges 5.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game...D-III: Played in five of team's seven games, scored 30 points.
#50 Audrey Hatfield: 6-2, Fr., C...2021-22: Made collegiate debut against Northland...scored eight points and recorded four rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
Unprecedented Move
St. Thomas is the first NCAA institution to move all of its athletics teams directly from Division III to D-I in one season.
Tommie teams have begun competing in four conferences across all 21 sports, with 31 different universities as
fellow conference mates:
• The Summit League (18 sports);
• Pioneer Football League;
• Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) for women's hockey;
• Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) for men's hockey.
Division III Era and Tradition
• 1 NCAA championship (1991)
• 7 NCAA Final Fours (three in eight-year span from 2012-2019)
• 32 postseason appearances in last 33 full seasons
• 27 MIAC championships (18 regular-season)
• 30-win seasons four times in nine years (2012-2020)
• 26 NCAA playoff appearances (55 wins)
• 22 All-America honors since 1980
• 77-game conference win streak ended in Dec. 2019
• 5 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans
• 9 of the last 21 MIAC Player of the Year honors
• 5 of the 13 MIAC Coach of the Year honors
• Kaitlin Langer 2017 National Player of the Year
