University of St. Thomas Athletics
Western Illinois
Game Notes - Women’s Basketball embarks on first Summit League road trip to face Western Illinois
12/31/2021 10:54:00 AM | Women's Basketball
St. Paul, Minn. - St. Thomas Women's Basketball takes to the road for the first time since Dec. 4 as they face Western Illinois in first Summit League road contest.
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 first Division I conference win as they defeated Denver, 56-48, this past Wednesday in St. Paul.
As a team, the Tommies are averaging just over 60 points per game and 34 rebounds per game.
Individually, grad student F Erin Norling is leading the team with 13.5 points per game. Norling is connecting on 43 percent (64-of-148) of her shots from the field and 35 percent (23-of-65) of her shots from behind the arc. Freshman G Jade Hill is averaging 11.9 points per game through her first 12 collegiate contests. Hill also leads St. Thomas with 29 assists on the season.
About Western Illinois
Last week (Dec. 22), WIU made an impressive second half bounce back to grab a 77-70 victory over visiting Omaha.
Western remains undefeated at home this winter, standing at 8-0. The Leathernecks have won six games in a row, its longest streak since the 2016-17 season, when they got on a roll in December.
Western is currently the only Summit League member school to have four players averaging 10 or more points per game.
Continuing its reputation as a team that poses a threat from beyond the arc, WIU again leads the Summit League in three-pointers made (9.5/game) this winter. The Leathernecks are shooting better than 36% from that range, a mark that is second-best in the Summit. Anna Deets has made more triples than any other Leatherneck (26) and has been the most efficient shooter (47%). Her classmate, Mallory McDermott ranks second on the team in three-point percentage (44%).
Last Time Out
St. Thomas women's basketball (4-8, 1-1 Summit League) made program history with its first-ever Summit League victory as a conference member, in a 56-48 victory over Denver (5-8, 0-2 Summit League) on Wednesday.
The 48 points allowed by the Tommies were the lowest amount of points allowed to an NCAA Division I opponent this season by St. Thomas. Entering the game, the Pioneers had scored 66 or more points in six-straight contests. The Toms finished with 46 rebounds, the highest number of boards against a Division I school thus far for the team.
The Tommies dictated the pace of the game with a stout defensive showing in the opening period, holding the Pioneers to just four points in the first 10 minutes. After Denver went up 4-2, the Toms would close the quarter on an 8-0 run and did not allow their opponent to score for over eight minutes. Freshman guard Jade Hill led the team with four points in the first quarter, while adding three rebounds and a steal.
In the second period, the Denver offense woke up, amassing 16 points to St. Thomas' 15. The Tommies were more dominant in the paint, however, tallying 10 points to the opposition's four. The UST lead blossomed to as much as eight points after a three-pointer from graduate forward Kaia Porter off a Maggie Negaard assist. Sophomore center Kate Burns led the Tommies with six points in the second quarter, shooting 3-3 from the field.
The third quarter was the highest scoring period of the contest for St. Thomas, as the team accumulated 18 points. 12 of the 18 points were scored outside of the paint, while Denver received just six points outside of the paint in the third period. With 4:20 left in the third, Hill found Burns for a layup in the paint to give the Toms a 13-point lead, the team's largest lead at any point in the game. Graduate forward Erin Norling drained two three-pointers in the period and brought in three boards to lead the squad.
A 6-0 scoring run late in the fourth quarter helped to seal the first conference win of the season for St. Thomas. The final period of play was dominated in the paint by St. Thomas, as the team racked up 10 points inside. Hill picked off two passes and blocked a shot to help propel the St. Thomas defensive effort in the fourth quarter. The Toms shot 46.2 percent from the field in the final 10 minutes while successfully draining their only three-point shot attempt.
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 - Defensive Rebounding 34.5 per game
5th - Offensive Rebounding 11.1 per game
5th - Rebounding Margin +1.4 per game
5th - 3-point field goals made 6.5 per game
Individual
4th - Minutes - J. Hill, 33.5 per game
8th - Steals - J. Hill, 1.5 per game
8th - Free-Throw Percentage - J. Hill, .796
9th - Scoring - E. Norling, 13.4 per game
10th - 3-point field goals made - E. Norling, 1.9 per game
Tommie Leader
Head coach Ruth Sinn is in her 17th season at St. Thomas in 2021-22. Her overall record of 360-96, 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 215-201 in the second quarter of their games this season, averaging 17.9 points per second quarter.
Super-Senior Leadership
Grad Student F Kaia Porter ranks third on the team in scoring (min. five games played), averaging 7.3 points per game. Porter leads the team in three-point shooting percentage connecting on 18-of-48 attempts on the season from behind the arc. Porter also averages 3.5 rebounds per game and has dished out 24 assists through 12 games this season.
Grad Student F Erin Norling transferred from Wayne State to join the Tommies in their inaugural D-I season. She leads St. Thomas 13.5 points per game. Norling is connecting on 43 percent (64-of-148) of her shots from the field and 35 percent (23-of-65) 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 opened 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 champion in 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 12 games and averages a team-high 33.8 minutes per game...averages 11.9 points per game and 2.4 assists per game.
#12 Jordyn Glynn: 5-9, Jr., G…2021-22: Appeared in 12 games with eight starts...averages 3.1 points and 4.8 rebounds through 12 games...D-III: Played in 23 games and scored 33 points.
#13 Gabby Johnson: 5-8, Fr., G...2021-22: Played in nine games...contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds.
#14 Jordyn Lamker: 6-0, Fr., F...2021-22: Appeared in 10 games for the Purple...scored 16 points and hauled in 17 rebounds.
#15 Phoebe Frentzel: 5-9, Fr., G...2021-22: Played 10 games for St. Thomas...contributed 19 points and seven rebounds.
#20 Sammy Opichka: 6-0, Fr., F...2021-22: Played in two games this season...made Collegiate debut against Northland...scored seven points, recorded three rebounds and one steal on the season.
#22 Erin Norling: 5-11, Grad Student, F...2021-22: Started all 12 games...averages a team-best 13.5 points per game...connecting on 43 percent (64-of-148) of her shots from the field and 35 percent (23-of-65) 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 12 games for the Purple...averages 6.3 points and 3.5 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: Played in three games for St. Thoams...contributed six points and eight rebounds on the season...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 12 games with five starts...averages 7.3 points and 3.5 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 12 games for St. Thomas...averages 5.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
#35 Kate Burns: 6-2, So., C…2021-22: Started all 11 games she's played...averges 6.1 points and 3.1 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
