University of St. Thomas Athletics
Saturday, December 3
Pocatello, Idaho
3:00 p.m. Central
at
Idaho State
Photo by: Natalie Grover/UVU Athletics
Tommie Women’s Basketball finishes road trip Saturday at Idaho State
12/2/2022 12:09:00 PM | Women's Basketball
St. Paul, Minn. -- St. Thomas Women's Basketball concludes its three-game road trip Saturday, Dec. 3 with a 3 p.m. (CT) tip-off at Idaho State. The Tommies look to avenge a loss during the lone meeting of the series at Reed Gym in Pocatello, Idaho.
The Last Time Out
Sophomore Sammy Opichka neared her second 20-point performance of the season Thursday night as St. Thomas Women's Basketball took down Utah Valley, 62-43, in Orem, Utah. Opichka led all scorers with 18 points to help the Tommies improve to 3-3 overall.
Jordyn Glynn started the game with her first 3-pointer of the season followed by five points from Opichak to give St. Thomas a 10-0 lead after the first six minutes of play. The Tommies went cold from the floor as the Wolverines went on a 13-0 run into the second quarter to gain the lead.
Jordyn Lamker made her first basket to stop the run while Opichka sank her second 3-pointer to tie the game, 15-15. The long ball started another run for the Tommies, this time of 11-0 to pull ahead by eight. Jade Hill put in a second-chance layup before a 3-pointer by Amber Scalia just before the buzzer to give the Purple a 32-21 lead at halftime.
Utah Valley cut the St. Thomas lead to six, 34-28, after four minutes into the third quarter. Autam Mendez hit her first of two 3-pointers on the night to begin the final stretch to separate the Tommies. Following Mendez's 3-pointer, St. Thomas went on an 18-0 run to take a 54-30 lead with 6:01 to play.
Opichka finished 7-of-11 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Her 18 points were two shy of her career high while she added four assists, two steals and one rebound. Scalia followed with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting, all from long range.
The Tommies shot a season-high 44.0 percent from the field and 45.0 percent from 3-point range. St. Thomas won the rebound margin, 36-28, and scored 27 points off the bench.
Scouting Idaho State
Idaho State is 3-4 overall after winning two of its last three games. The Bengals went 1-1 at The Dana on Mission Bay Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 25-26 in San Diego, Calif. ISU opened the tournament with a 58-57 loss to San Diego before a 61-55 win over California Baptist.
Callie Bourne leads the Bengals and is the only player in double figures with 13.6 points per game on 43.8 percent shooting. Laura Bello follows with 9.9 points per game and leads the teamwith 8.0 rebounds per game.
ISU ranks among the top 50 in the nation in scoring defense at 54.1 (30th), 3-point percentage defense at 24.7% (43rd) and field goal percentage defense at 35.1% (46th). The Bengals average 53.7 points and 38.3 rebounds per game but give away 20.6 turnovers per game.
Series History
The all-time series between the Tommies and Bengals began Dec. 11, 2021, a 67-57 win by ISU in St. Paul.
Maggie Negaard led all returners with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including three 3-pointers, and added five assists. Jade Hill totaled 11 points with five rebounds while Jordyn Glynn paced the team with eight assists and tied Hill for a team-high five rebounds.
New to the Elevation
Saturday will be the second straight game playing at elevation after facing the altitude just once last season.
Pocatello, Idaho is 4,462 feet above sea-level, 817 feet lower than Denver where St. Thomas played during the Summit League schedule a season ago. The Tommies took a 62-43 win at Utah Valley on Thursday in Orem, Utah (4,774').
The trip will also be the farthest of the season, totaling 2,703 miles round trip from St. Paul to Orem to Pocatello and back home again. That's just 200 miles shy of the distance from San Francisco to New York City.
Pulling Down the Boards
St. Thomas has outrebounded its opponents in five of six games this season. The Tommies recorded more rebounds than their opponents eight times last season, going 4-4 in those games. The Purple have shown success limiting opponents' rebounds this season, ranking within the top 50 in the nation with 31.7 rebounds allowed per game.
Running Point
Sophomore Jade Hill has scored in double digits in all but one game this season and led the Tommies in scoring two times. She tied a career-high 24 points in the Nov. 19 win over Presbyterian and set a season-high six assists Nov. 15 at Illinois State. Hill has led the team in assists in five of six games.
Sophomore Alexis Pratt recorded her first double-digit scoring game with the Tommies on 10 points against Presbyterian. She added three assists against PC and set a new season-high with four at UIC.
Sammy 2-O
Sophomore Sammy Opichka went off for a career-high 20 points Nov. 15 at Illinois State. She was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, 2-of-2 from 3-point range and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. She also pulled down a career-high eight rebounds, including three offensive rebounds that were converted for six second-chance points.
This is the first instance of a Tommie recording at least 20 points and 8 rebounds in a game since Macy Hatlestad recorded 26 points and nine rebounds Feb. 3, 2021 against Bethel. It's also the first time a Tommie went at least 6-of-6 from the field since Langbehn went 6-of-6 against Oral Roberts on Feb. 5, 2022.
After scoring 18 points Thursday at Utah Valley, Opichka surpassed her scoring total from the 2021-22 season. She totaled 45 points as a freshman and is now second on the team with 57 total points this season.
Where Are My Upperclassmen At?
Graduate student Autam Mendez, and seniors Jordyn Glynn and Maggie Negaard are the only three upperclassmen on the team. The 2022-23 Tommies are comprised of three upperclassmen, eight sophomores, two redshirt freshmen and two true freshmen.
Glynn is the only member of the team who was with the program during its NCAA DIII days. She played in 24 games with 17 starts last season to average 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 points per game. Glynn is averaging 4.2 rebounds per game this season, totaling at least four in five games.
Negaard played her first season with the Tommies in 2021-22 after transferring in from Drake. She made 24 starts in 27 games played and averaged 5.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest. This season, Negaard has led the Tommies in scoring once, totaling 15 points in the win over South Carolina State.
Mendez makes her Tommie debut this season after playing at San Jose State from 2020-22 and at North Iowa Area Community College from 2018-20. Mendez has hit at least one 3-pointer in back-to-back games.
NCAA Division I Year One in Review
Head Coach Ruth Sinn leads the Tommies into year two of NCAA Division I play after a 7-21 campaign, including a 4-14 mark in the Summit League, last season.
The Tommies bring back nine returners, including three starters, and welcome in six newcomers. Seniors Jordyn Glynn and Maggie Negaard, along with sophomore Jade Hill, were each consistent starters a year ago.
The first Summit League victory for St. Thomas came at home against Denver on Dec. 22, 56-48. The Tommies concluded their first Division I season with a 61-56 road win at Omaha.
Hill played the most minutes per game of any women's freshman player in DI hoops in 2021-22. Hill averaged 36.15 minutes over 28 games. (Only one freshman DI men's player, Trey Townsend of Oakland at 36.24, had a higher per-game average.) Hill also led the entire Summit League in minutes per game.
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas Women's Basketball, follow along on Twitter and Instagram at @TommieWBBall
Join Us
To reserve your seat to be a part of the Tommies' 2022 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.
The Last Time Out
Sophomore Sammy Opichka neared her second 20-point performance of the season Thursday night as St. Thomas Women's Basketball took down Utah Valley, 62-43, in Orem, Utah. Opichka led all scorers with 18 points to help the Tommies improve to 3-3 overall.
Jordyn Glynn started the game with her first 3-pointer of the season followed by five points from Opichak to give St. Thomas a 10-0 lead after the first six minutes of play. The Tommies went cold from the floor as the Wolverines went on a 13-0 run into the second quarter to gain the lead.
Jordyn Lamker made her first basket to stop the run while Opichka sank her second 3-pointer to tie the game, 15-15. The long ball started another run for the Tommies, this time of 11-0 to pull ahead by eight. Jade Hill put in a second-chance layup before a 3-pointer by Amber Scalia just before the buzzer to give the Purple a 32-21 lead at halftime.
Utah Valley cut the St. Thomas lead to six, 34-28, after four minutes into the third quarter. Autam Mendez hit her first of two 3-pointers on the night to begin the final stretch to separate the Tommies. Following Mendez's 3-pointer, St. Thomas went on an 18-0 run to take a 54-30 lead with 6:01 to play.
Opichka finished 7-of-11 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Her 18 points were two shy of her career high while she added four assists, two steals and one rebound. Scalia followed with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting, all from long range.
The Tommies shot a season-high 44.0 percent from the field and 45.0 percent from 3-point range. St. Thomas won the rebound margin, 36-28, and scored 27 points off the bench.
Scouting Idaho State
Idaho State is 3-4 overall after winning two of its last three games. The Bengals went 1-1 at The Dana on Mission Bay Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 25-26 in San Diego, Calif. ISU opened the tournament with a 58-57 loss to San Diego before a 61-55 win over California Baptist.
Callie Bourne leads the Bengals and is the only player in double figures with 13.6 points per game on 43.8 percent shooting. Laura Bello follows with 9.9 points per game and leads the teamwith 8.0 rebounds per game.
ISU ranks among the top 50 in the nation in scoring defense at 54.1 (30th), 3-point percentage defense at 24.7% (43rd) and field goal percentage defense at 35.1% (46th). The Bengals average 53.7 points and 38.3 rebounds per game but give away 20.6 turnovers per game.
Series History
The all-time series between the Tommies and Bengals began Dec. 11, 2021, a 67-57 win by ISU in St. Paul.
Maggie Negaard led all returners with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including three 3-pointers, and added five assists. Jade Hill totaled 11 points with five rebounds while Jordyn Glynn paced the team with eight assists and tied Hill for a team-high five rebounds.
New to the Elevation
Saturday will be the second straight game playing at elevation after facing the altitude just once last season.
Pocatello, Idaho is 4,462 feet above sea-level, 817 feet lower than Denver where St. Thomas played during the Summit League schedule a season ago. The Tommies took a 62-43 win at Utah Valley on Thursday in Orem, Utah (4,774').
The trip will also be the farthest of the season, totaling 2,703 miles round trip from St. Paul to Orem to Pocatello and back home again. That's just 200 miles shy of the distance from San Francisco to New York City.
Pulling Down the Boards
St. Thomas has outrebounded its opponents in five of six games this season. The Tommies recorded more rebounds than their opponents eight times last season, going 4-4 in those games. The Purple have shown success limiting opponents' rebounds this season, ranking within the top 50 in the nation with 31.7 rebounds allowed per game.
Running Point
Sophomore Jade Hill has scored in double digits in all but one game this season and led the Tommies in scoring two times. She tied a career-high 24 points in the Nov. 19 win over Presbyterian and set a season-high six assists Nov. 15 at Illinois State. Hill has led the team in assists in five of six games.
Sophomore Alexis Pratt recorded her first double-digit scoring game with the Tommies on 10 points against Presbyterian. She added three assists against PC and set a new season-high with four at UIC.
Sammy 2-O
Sophomore Sammy Opichka went off for a career-high 20 points Nov. 15 at Illinois State. She was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, 2-of-2 from 3-point range and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. She also pulled down a career-high eight rebounds, including three offensive rebounds that were converted for six second-chance points.
This is the first instance of a Tommie recording at least 20 points and 8 rebounds in a game since Macy Hatlestad recorded 26 points and nine rebounds Feb. 3, 2021 against Bethel. It's also the first time a Tommie went at least 6-of-6 from the field since Langbehn went 6-of-6 against Oral Roberts on Feb. 5, 2022.
After scoring 18 points Thursday at Utah Valley, Opichka surpassed her scoring total from the 2021-22 season. She totaled 45 points as a freshman and is now second on the team with 57 total points this season.
Where Are My Upperclassmen At?
Graduate student Autam Mendez, and seniors Jordyn Glynn and Maggie Negaard are the only three upperclassmen on the team. The 2022-23 Tommies are comprised of three upperclassmen, eight sophomores, two redshirt freshmen and two true freshmen.
Glynn is the only member of the team who was with the program during its NCAA DIII days. She played in 24 games with 17 starts last season to average 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 points per game. Glynn is averaging 4.2 rebounds per game this season, totaling at least four in five games.
Negaard played her first season with the Tommies in 2021-22 after transferring in from Drake. She made 24 starts in 27 games played and averaged 5.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest. This season, Negaard has led the Tommies in scoring once, totaling 15 points in the win over South Carolina State.
Mendez makes her Tommie debut this season after playing at San Jose State from 2020-22 and at North Iowa Area Community College from 2018-20. Mendez has hit at least one 3-pointer in back-to-back games.
NCAA Division I Year One in Review
Head Coach Ruth Sinn leads the Tommies into year two of NCAA Division I play after a 7-21 campaign, including a 4-14 mark in the Summit League, last season.
The Tommies bring back nine returners, including three starters, and welcome in six newcomers. Seniors Jordyn Glynn and Maggie Negaard, along with sophomore Jade Hill, were each consistent starters a year ago.
The first Summit League victory for St. Thomas came at home against Denver on Dec. 22, 56-48. The Tommies concluded their first Division I season with a 61-56 road win at Omaha.
Hill played the most minutes per game of any women's freshman player in DI hoops in 2021-22. Hill averaged 36.15 minutes over 28 games. (Only one freshman DI men's player, Trey Townsend of Oakland at 36.24, had a higher per-game average.) Hill also led the entire Summit League in minutes per game.
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas Women's Basketball, follow along on Twitter and Instagram at @TommieWBBall
Join Us
To reserve your seat to be a part of the Tommies' 2022 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.
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