University of St. Thomas Athletics
Thursday, January 26
Brookings, S.D.
7:00 p.m. Central
at
South Dakota State
Photo by: Collin Boyles
Women’s Basketball begins second half of Summit League schedule at SDSU, USD
1/25/2023 9:20:00 AM | Women's Basketball
St. Paul, Minn. -- St. Thomas Women's Basketball begins its final trek through the Summit League schedule Jan. 26 at South Dakota State in Brookings, S.D., and Jan. 28 at South Dakota in Vermillion, S.D.
Senior guard Maggie Negaard's hot streak continued Saturday afternoon at Schoenecker Arena as she scored a career and game high 28 points during the Purple's last-second loss to Western Illinois, 77-75.
Recapping the Western Illinois Game
Negaard scored 16 second-half points for the Tommies (7-12, 2-7 Summit) as the Leathernecks (8-12, 3-6 Summit) won on a last-second layup. The Purple held an eight-point lead in the final quarter after trailing by as many as 15 in the first half.
WIU jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first quarter and ended it on a 9-4 run, limiting the Tommies to 2-of-5 shooting and two turnovers given away. The Leathernecks hit two 3-pointers at the end of the quarter to take a 20-11 lead into the second quarter.
The run continued with back-to-back 3-pointers to start the second quarter for a game-high 26-11 lead for WIU. Jo Langbehn's third basket in the paint snapped the streak and began the Purple's trek back to draw within three at halftime.
The Tommies hit 9-of-18 shots in the second quarter, including 16 points in the paint, led by Negaard who converted two and-one opportunities late. Negaard's three-point-plays were part of a 10-2 run to bring the halftime deficit to 37-34.
Jade Hill and Langbehn opened the second half with baskets followed by a 3-pointer from Negaard to take the first Tommie lead, 41-39. The 3-pointer was part of a 9-0 run to give St. Thomas a 45-39 lead with 7:10 to play.
Both teams traded leads four times after that point, including a 56-53 lead by St. Thomas at the end of the third quarter. Negaard scored 20 points between the second and third quarters and finished with five in the fourth.
Free throws contributed largely to a 7-1 run for the Tommies, as they sank 5-of-6 over a three-minute stretch, which pushed the lead to eight, 66-58. The Leathernecks sank back-to-back 3-pointers and tied the game about two minutes later, 67-67. Neither team went ahead by more than two points, which included three lead changes, over the final 3:24. Langbehn converted two free throws to tie the game, 75-75, before WIU scored on a layup with one second to play for the win.
Langbehn followed Negaard in scoring with 19, two shy of her career high, on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Negaard shot 9-of-12 from the field, 6-of-8 from 3-point range, and 4-of-4 from the free throw line while she tied a career high with nine rebounds. Hill was the final Tommie to score in double figures with 13 points, going 9-of-12 from the charity stripe.
The Tommies shot 45.8 percent from the field (22-48), its best shooting performance of the conference season, and went 24-of-28 from the free throw line. Western Illinois finished 50.0 percent from the field (27-54) and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc (8-20).
Scouting South Dakota State
South Dakota State is 16-5 overall and 9-0 in the Summit League after taking down Omaha, 68-61, on Jan. 19 and Denver, 74-64, on Jan. 21. The Jackrabbits have won nine straight games overall, last losing Dec. 15 to No. 1 South Carolina, 62-44, and five straight at home, taking their only home loss Nov. 7 to No. 7 Creighton, 78-69.
Myah Selland is fifth in the Summit League and leads SDSU with 16.1 points per game on 52.3 percent shooting from the field, which is third in the league and 55th in the nation. She's totaled three double-doubles, six games with at least 20 points, and was named the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week once. Paiton Burckhard and Haleigh Timmer also average double-digit scoring with 11.3 and 10.6 points per game, respectively.
The Jackrabbits are second in the Summit League and 37th in the country scoring 75.7 points per game and are second to the Tommies in the conference allowing 63.8 points per game. SDSU also leads the league with 16.8 assists per game, 46.3 percent shooting from the field, 40.95 rebounds per game and an 11.9 scoring margin.
Series History vs. South Dakota State
St. Thomas and South Dakota State have played three times ever, all three won by SDSU. The Jackrabbits took the first game of the 2022-23 series, 61-51, on Dec. 31, 2022 in St. Paul, Minn. St. Thomas held South Dakota State to its third-lowest scoring output of the season.
Maggie Negaard was the only Tommie to score in double digits with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range. She added six rebounds and four assists. Jade Hill followed in scoring with eight points.
Scouting South Dakota
South Dakota is 10-10 overall and 6-3 in the Summit League after earning road wins over Omaha on Jan. 19 and Denver on Jan. 21. The Coyotes ended a two-game losing skid with a 70-63 win in Omaha, Neb., before taking a 59-50 victory in Denver.
Grace Larkins is third in the Summit League and 48th in NCAA DI with 17.8 points per game on 40.8 percent shooting, which is sixth in the conference. She has recorded three double-doubles, three games with at least 30 points, and was named the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week once. Larkins is second in the Summit League with 4.4 assists per game, second with 2.1 steals per game, and fifth with 6.9 rebounds per game.
The Coyotes average 70.2 points per game on 40.9 percent shooting from the field and 36.1 percent from 3-point range, which leads the Summit League and is 25th in the nation. USD puts in 8.4 3-point field goals per game, which leads the conference and is 26th in the country, and give away just 13.8 turnovers per game to lead the Summit League.
Series History vs. South Dakota
St. Thomas and South Dakota have played three times in the series history, all wins by USD. The Coyotes won the first meeting of the 2022-23 season, 58-56, on Dec. 29, 2022 in St. Paul. St. Thomas held South Dakota to its fourth-lowest scoring output of the season.
Sammy Opichka led the Tommies with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting overall and 2-of-3 from long range. She tied Jordyn Lamker with a team high five rebounds while adding a team high five assists. Negaard was the only other Tommie to top double figure scoring with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting.
Negaard's Career Streak
Senior Maggie Negaard entered the season with a single-game career high of 15 points and has since topped that mark in seven games, including five straight. She set a career-high with 18 points Dec. 8 against Purdue-Fort Wayne before scoring 19 on Jan. 7 at Omaha, 24 on Jan. 12 against Kansas City, and 28 on Jan. 21 against Western Illinois. She added another 19 point performance during the win over Oral Roberts.
Negaard is the only student-athlete in the Summit League to have scored at least 17 points in each of their last five games. She joins North Dakota's Kacie Borowicz (seven-game streak) and Kansas City's E'Lease Stafford (six-game streak) to score at least 17 points through at least five consecutive games at any point this season.
Negaard is 10th in the country and leads the Summit League shooting 46.2 percent from 3-point range. She also leads the Tommies and is 10th in the league with 12.7 points per game. Negaard has sunk at least three 3-pointers in six straight games.
Running Point
Sophomore Jade Hill scored in double digits during eight of the first nine games this season and led the Tommies in scoring two times. She scored a season-high 24 points during the Nov. 19 win over Presbyterian and set a season-high six assists Nov. 15 at Illinois State. Hill scored 16 points Jan. 7 at Omaha to snap a six-game streak failing to reach double digits. Previous to that streak, she had never recorded back-to-back single-digit scoring games in her Tommie career. Hill is averaging 13.0 points per game over the last four outings, scoring 16 points Jan. 7 at Omaha, 15 Jan. 14 against Oral Roberts, and 13 Jan. 21 against Western Illinois.
Hill is tied for fourth in the Summit League with a 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio, sixth with 3.7 assists, tied for seventh with 1.7 steals, and is 17th with 10.9 points per game.
Go Hard in the Paint
Sophomore Jo Langbehn recorded a career-high 21 points to go along with 10 rebounds Sunday, Dec. 11 at Wisconsin to mark her fourth career double-double. She sank 9-of-13 from the field while five of her rebounds came on the offensive end. Langbehn was two rebounds shy of her career high, set twice in 2021-22.
After entering the 2022-23 season with a single-game career-high of 12 points, Langbehn topped that mark in three of a four-game stretch. She set a new mark of 14 points Dec. 3 at Idaho State before scoring 21 points at Wisconsin and following up with another 20-point effort Dec. 14 against Chicago State. Langbehn is third for St. Thomas with 9.4 points per game.
Sammy 2-O
Sophomore Sammy Opichka went off for a career-high 20 points Nov. 15 at Illinois State before topping it with 25 points Dec. 8 versus Purdue Fort Wayne. 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 against ISU. She also recorded career highs of 12 rebounds and three steals against PFW, marking the first double-double of her career and the first for St. Thomas since the 2021-22 season finale.
This is the first instance of a Tommie recording at least 25 points and 12 rebounds in a game since Brynne Rolland recorded 30 points and 13 rebounds Jan. 22, 2020 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.
Opichka's two 20-point games this season match her entire scoring output from the 2021-22 season. She totaled 45 points as a freshman and is fourth on the team with 9.1 points.
Behind the Arc
After going the first 14 games without allowing an opponent to shoot over 36.8 percent from 3-point range, the Tommies allowed four of its last five opponents to shoot at least 40 percent. Denver sank 13 3-pointers on Jan. 5, the most St. Thomas has allowed since Northern Iowa put in 16 on Dec. 1, 2021. Three of the Tommies' last four opponents have shot 8-of-20 from 3-point range.
Bad Luck Overtimes
St. Thomas played in its third overtime game of the season Jan. 7 at Omaha, the first season with three overtime games for the program since the 2009-10 season. The Tommies went 2-1 in those games and has lost in all three such games this season. St. Thomas' overtime losses came Nov. 27 at UIC, 75-71, Dec. 3 at Idaho State, 58-54, and Jan. 7 at Omaha, 80-77.
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.
Senior guard Maggie Negaard's hot streak continued Saturday afternoon at Schoenecker Arena as she scored a career and game high 28 points during the Purple's last-second loss to Western Illinois, 77-75.
Recapping the Western Illinois Game
Negaard scored 16 second-half points for the Tommies (7-12, 2-7 Summit) as the Leathernecks (8-12, 3-6 Summit) won on a last-second layup. The Purple held an eight-point lead in the final quarter after trailing by as many as 15 in the first half.
WIU jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first quarter and ended it on a 9-4 run, limiting the Tommies to 2-of-5 shooting and two turnovers given away. The Leathernecks hit two 3-pointers at the end of the quarter to take a 20-11 lead into the second quarter.
The run continued with back-to-back 3-pointers to start the second quarter for a game-high 26-11 lead for WIU. Jo Langbehn's third basket in the paint snapped the streak and began the Purple's trek back to draw within three at halftime.
The Tommies hit 9-of-18 shots in the second quarter, including 16 points in the paint, led by Negaard who converted two and-one opportunities late. Negaard's three-point-plays were part of a 10-2 run to bring the halftime deficit to 37-34.
Jade Hill and Langbehn opened the second half with baskets followed by a 3-pointer from Negaard to take the first Tommie lead, 41-39. The 3-pointer was part of a 9-0 run to give St. Thomas a 45-39 lead with 7:10 to play.
Both teams traded leads four times after that point, including a 56-53 lead by St. Thomas at the end of the third quarter. Negaard scored 20 points between the second and third quarters and finished with five in the fourth.
Free throws contributed largely to a 7-1 run for the Tommies, as they sank 5-of-6 over a three-minute stretch, which pushed the lead to eight, 66-58. The Leathernecks sank back-to-back 3-pointers and tied the game about two minutes later, 67-67. Neither team went ahead by more than two points, which included three lead changes, over the final 3:24. Langbehn converted two free throws to tie the game, 75-75, before WIU scored on a layup with one second to play for the win.
Langbehn followed Negaard in scoring with 19, two shy of her career high, on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Negaard shot 9-of-12 from the field, 6-of-8 from 3-point range, and 4-of-4 from the free throw line while she tied a career high with nine rebounds. Hill was the final Tommie to score in double figures with 13 points, going 9-of-12 from the charity stripe.
The Tommies shot 45.8 percent from the field (22-48), its best shooting performance of the conference season, and went 24-of-28 from the free throw line. Western Illinois finished 50.0 percent from the field (27-54) and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc (8-20).
Scouting South Dakota State
South Dakota State is 16-5 overall and 9-0 in the Summit League after taking down Omaha, 68-61, on Jan. 19 and Denver, 74-64, on Jan. 21. The Jackrabbits have won nine straight games overall, last losing Dec. 15 to No. 1 South Carolina, 62-44, and five straight at home, taking their only home loss Nov. 7 to No. 7 Creighton, 78-69.
Myah Selland is fifth in the Summit League and leads SDSU with 16.1 points per game on 52.3 percent shooting from the field, which is third in the league and 55th in the nation. She's totaled three double-doubles, six games with at least 20 points, and was named the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week once. Paiton Burckhard and Haleigh Timmer also average double-digit scoring with 11.3 and 10.6 points per game, respectively.
The Jackrabbits are second in the Summit League and 37th in the country scoring 75.7 points per game and are second to the Tommies in the conference allowing 63.8 points per game. SDSU also leads the league with 16.8 assists per game, 46.3 percent shooting from the field, 40.95 rebounds per game and an 11.9 scoring margin.
Series History vs. South Dakota State
St. Thomas and South Dakota State have played three times ever, all three won by SDSU. The Jackrabbits took the first game of the 2022-23 series, 61-51, on Dec. 31, 2022 in St. Paul, Minn. St. Thomas held South Dakota State to its third-lowest scoring output of the season.
Maggie Negaard was the only Tommie to score in double digits with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range. She added six rebounds and four assists. Jade Hill followed in scoring with eight points.
Scouting South Dakota
South Dakota is 10-10 overall and 6-3 in the Summit League after earning road wins over Omaha on Jan. 19 and Denver on Jan. 21. The Coyotes ended a two-game losing skid with a 70-63 win in Omaha, Neb., before taking a 59-50 victory in Denver.
Grace Larkins is third in the Summit League and 48th in NCAA DI with 17.8 points per game on 40.8 percent shooting, which is sixth in the conference. She has recorded three double-doubles, three games with at least 30 points, and was named the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week once. Larkins is second in the Summit League with 4.4 assists per game, second with 2.1 steals per game, and fifth with 6.9 rebounds per game.
The Coyotes average 70.2 points per game on 40.9 percent shooting from the field and 36.1 percent from 3-point range, which leads the Summit League and is 25th in the nation. USD puts in 8.4 3-point field goals per game, which leads the conference and is 26th in the country, and give away just 13.8 turnovers per game to lead the Summit League.
Series History vs. South Dakota
St. Thomas and South Dakota have played three times in the series history, all wins by USD. The Coyotes won the first meeting of the 2022-23 season, 58-56, on Dec. 29, 2022 in St. Paul. St. Thomas held South Dakota to its fourth-lowest scoring output of the season.
Sammy Opichka led the Tommies with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting overall and 2-of-3 from long range. She tied Jordyn Lamker with a team high five rebounds while adding a team high five assists. Negaard was the only other Tommie to top double figure scoring with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting.
Negaard's Career Streak
Senior Maggie Negaard entered the season with a single-game career high of 15 points and has since topped that mark in seven games, including five straight. She set a career-high with 18 points Dec. 8 against Purdue-Fort Wayne before scoring 19 on Jan. 7 at Omaha, 24 on Jan. 12 against Kansas City, and 28 on Jan. 21 against Western Illinois. She added another 19 point performance during the win over Oral Roberts.
Negaard is the only student-athlete in the Summit League to have scored at least 17 points in each of their last five games. She joins North Dakota's Kacie Borowicz (seven-game streak) and Kansas City's E'Lease Stafford (six-game streak) to score at least 17 points through at least five consecutive games at any point this season.
Negaard is 10th in the country and leads the Summit League shooting 46.2 percent from 3-point range. She also leads the Tommies and is 10th in the league with 12.7 points per game. Negaard has sunk at least three 3-pointers in six straight games.
Running Point
Sophomore Jade Hill scored in double digits during eight of the first nine games this season and led the Tommies in scoring two times. She scored a season-high 24 points during the Nov. 19 win over Presbyterian and set a season-high six assists Nov. 15 at Illinois State. Hill scored 16 points Jan. 7 at Omaha to snap a six-game streak failing to reach double digits. Previous to that streak, she had never recorded back-to-back single-digit scoring games in her Tommie career. Hill is averaging 13.0 points per game over the last four outings, scoring 16 points Jan. 7 at Omaha, 15 Jan. 14 against Oral Roberts, and 13 Jan. 21 against Western Illinois.
Hill is tied for fourth in the Summit League with a 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio, sixth with 3.7 assists, tied for seventh with 1.7 steals, and is 17th with 10.9 points per game.
Go Hard in the Paint
Sophomore Jo Langbehn recorded a career-high 21 points to go along with 10 rebounds Sunday, Dec. 11 at Wisconsin to mark her fourth career double-double. She sank 9-of-13 from the field while five of her rebounds came on the offensive end. Langbehn was two rebounds shy of her career high, set twice in 2021-22.
After entering the 2022-23 season with a single-game career-high of 12 points, Langbehn topped that mark in three of a four-game stretch. She set a new mark of 14 points Dec. 3 at Idaho State before scoring 21 points at Wisconsin and following up with another 20-point effort Dec. 14 against Chicago State. Langbehn is third for St. Thomas with 9.4 points per game.
Sammy 2-O
Sophomore Sammy Opichka went off for a career-high 20 points Nov. 15 at Illinois State before topping it with 25 points Dec. 8 versus Purdue Fort Wayne. 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 against ISU. She also recorded career highs of 12 rebounds and three steals against PFW, marking the first double-double of her career and the first for St. Thomas since the 2021-22 season finale.
This is the first instance of a Tommie recording at least 25 points and 12 rebounds in a game since Brynne Rolland recorded 30 points and 13 rebounds Jan. 22, 2020 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.
Opichka's two 20-point games this season match her entire scoring output from the 2021-22 season. She totaled 45 points as a freshman and is fourth on the team with 9.1 points.
Behind the Arc
After going the first 14 games without allowing an opponent to shoot over 36.8 percent from 3-point range, the Tommies allowed four of its last five opponents to shoot at least 40 percent. Denver sank 13 3-pointers on Jan. 5, the most St. Thomas has allowed since Northern Iowa put in 16 on Dec. 1, 2021. Three of the Tommies' last four opponents have shot 8-of-20 from 3-point range.
Bad Luck Overtimes
St. Thomas played in its third overtime game of the season Jan. 7 at Omaha, the first season with three overtime games for the program since the 2009-10 season. The Tommies went 2-1 in those games and has lost in all three such games this season. St. Thomas' overtime losses came Nov. 27 at UIC, 75-71, Dec. 3 at Idaho State, 58-54, and Jan. 7 at Omaha, 80-77.
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.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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