University of St. Thomas Athletics
Denver
Game Notes - Women’s Basketball takes to the road for the final games of 2021-22 season starting at Denver
2/23/2022 3:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball
St. Paul, Minn. - St. Thomas Women's Basketball (6-20, 3-13) will wrap up its 2021-22 season on the road starting this Thursday at Denver (8-19, 3-13).
Most recently, Freshman G Jade Hill led the Tommies against South Dakota State with 11 points scored. Grad student F Erin Norling brought in six rebounds to pace the team while freshman G Sammy Opichka dished out a squad-best three assists. Opichka also finished with two blocked shots and a steal. Hill shot seven of the team's nine free throws, successfully making five.
As a team, the Tommies are averaging 57.8 points per game and 33.7 rebounds per game.
Individually, Freshman G Jade Hill is averaging a team-best 13.6 points per game through her first 26 collegiate contests. Hill also leads St. Thomas with 80 assists on the season. Grad student F Erin Norling ranks second on the team with 13.5 points per game. Norling is connecting on 44 percent of her shots from the field and 36 percent of her shots from behind the arc.
Digging into Denver
Denver most recently fell to Omaha at home last Saturday by a score of 62-50.
Cheyenne Forney led the Pioneers with 14 points and seven rebounds. Uju Ezeudu had 12 points, Denver's other double figure scorer on the afternoon. Cheyenne Forney finished in double figures for the fourth time this season and the fourth time in her career. Uju Ezeudu finished in double figures for the 11th-straight game, the 25th time this season and the 59th time in her career.
As a team, Denver is averaging 64.2 points per game and allowing 72.8 points per game. The Pioneers are shooting 38 percent from the field and 30 percent from behind the arc. Denver is being out rebounded by its opponents on the season, on average pulling down 34.3 rebounds per game compared to 39.8 by its opponents.
Individually, Uju Ezeudu is one-of-two Pioneers to average double-digit points per game with 17.6 points. Ezeudu is joined by Meghan Boyd (11.2) ) as the team's leading scorers. Ezeudu is leading the team with 8.3 rebounds per game.
Tommie Leader
Head coach Ruth Sinn is in her 17th season at St. Thomas in 2021-22. Her overall record of 362-108r, 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.
Last Time Out
St. Thomas women's basketball (6-20, 3-13 Summit League) suffered an 83-42 defeat to South Dakota State (19-8, 15-1 Summit League) at home on Saturday.
Freshman guard Jade Hill led the Tommies with 11 points scored. Graduate forward Erin Norling brought in six rebounds to pace the team while Sammy Opichka dished out a squad-best three assists. Opichka also finished with two blocked shots and a steal. Hill shot seven of the team's nine free throws, successfully making five.
The Jackrabbits made strong work on the offensive board, totaling four second-chance boards in just the first five minutes of the opening period. Entering the first media stoppage of the quarter, the Purple trailed 11-3 to the Jacks. Senior Maggie Negaard hit a trey off of a Norling assist to trim the South Dakota State lead to five. Across the final 2:14, freshman Jo Langbehn tallied four points to the St. Thomas cause.
Entering the second period down three points, 15-12, Norling tied the game at 18-18 on a three in front of the SDSU bench. Helped by Tommie fouls, South Dakota State retook the lead and expanded it to nine points entering the under-five media timeout, 27-18. The Toms were limited to 40.0 percent shooting in the second period and allowed 14 Jackrabbit points off turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
Down by 15 points at the half, the Jacks would buoy the lead to 24 in the first three minutes of the third period, forcing the Tommies to call a timeout. Opichka scored the team's first points of the second half on a jumper at the 8:39 mark. Hill picked up her sixth point of the quarter on a jump shot with 3:45 remaining in the quarter, giving her 11 total points.
The Tommies were outscored, 25-8, over the final 10 minutes. The Tommies shot 21.4 percent in the final period of play, and made one of their four three-point shot attempts. In the game, St. Thomas was doubled up on points in the paint, 44-20.
As the Tommies celebrated Senior Day with two players in the final home games, Sinn singled out the leadership and unselfish nature of fifth-year players Norling and Kaia Porter.
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-10 individual rankings and statistics for all games by the 10 conference schools this season.
Rank Category Stat
Individual
1st Minutes J. Hill, 35.8 per game
5th Free-Throw Percentage J. Hill, .786
T5th 3-point field goals made E. Norling, 2.0 per game
6th Assist to Turnover Ratio J. Hill, 1.1
7th Assists J. Hill, 3.0 per game
10th Scoring J. Hill, 13.6 per game
Super-Senior Leadership
Grad Student F Kaia Porter ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 6.2 points per game. Porter is an efficient three-point shooter connecting on 29-of-94 attempts (31 percent) of her shots on the season from behind the arc. Porter also averages 3.8 rebounds per game and has dished out 38 assists through 26 games this season.
Grad Student F Erin Norling transferred from Wayne State to join the Tommies in their inaugural D-I season. She ranks second in score for St. Thomas with 13.5 points per game. Norling is connecting on 44 percent (137-of-313) of her shots from the field and 36 percent (52-of-143) 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, followed by 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 those 18 teams records so far this season:
Wisconsin (7-17)
Illinois State (15-9)
South Carolina State (3-20)
Presbyterian (9-14)
Cal Poly (3-15)
North Texas (12-10)
Northern Iowa (16-8)
Chicago State (4-17)
Idaho State (16-8)
Omaha (8-19)
Denver (8-19)
Western Illinois (14-12)
Oral Roberts (15-12)
Kansas City (22-5)
North Dakota State (10-17)
North Dakota (15-13)
South Dakota State (19-8)
South Dakota (21-5)
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 26 games and averages a league-high 35.9 minutes per game...averages 13.6 points per game and 3.1 assists per game.
#12 Jordyn Glynn: 5-9, Jr., G…2021-22: Appeared in 22 games with 17 starts...averages 2.8 points and 4.2 rebounds through 22 games...D-III: Played in 23 games and scored 33 points.
#13 Gabby Johnson: 5-8, Fr., G...2021-22: Played in 19 games...contributed 19 points and 19 rebounds.
#14 Jordyn Lamker: 6-0, Fr., F...2021-22: Appeared in 21 games for the Purple...scored 25 points and hauled in 31 rebounds.
#15 Phoebe Frentzel: 5-9, Fr., G...2021-22: Played 21 games for St. Thomas...contributed 22 points and 11 rebounds.
#20 Sammy Opichka: 6-0, Fr., F...2021-22: Played in 14 games this season...made Collegiate debut against Northland...scored 45 points, recorded 27 rebounds and five steals on the season.
#22 Erin Norling: 5-11, Grad Student, F...2021-22: Started all 26 games...averages 13.5 points per game...connecting on 44 percent (137-of-313) of her shots from the field and 36 percent (52-of-143) of her shots from behind the arc...scored a career-high 34 points against NDSU...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 22-of-25 games played for the Purple...averages 5.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game...Previously: Drake University…played in 78 games at Drake.
#24 Abby Mackenthun: 5-11, Jr., F…2021-22: Played 13 games...averages 1.5 points and 1.2 rebounds per game, while playing 2.8 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 16 games for St. Thomas. this season..contributed 14 points and 24 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 percent 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 26 games with 13 starts...averages 6.2 points and 3.8 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 10 games...has recorded two rebounds and one steal...D-III: Missed 2020-21 season with an injury.
#34 Jo Langbehn: 6-2, Fr., C...2021-22: Played 25 games for St. Thomas with five starts...averages 5.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game...posted two double-doubles on the season.
#35 Kate Burns: 6-2, So., C…2021-22: Started 20-of-25 games this season...averges 5.3 points and 2.7 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: Played in seven games...made collegiate debut against Northland...scored 11 points and recorded seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal on the season.
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
