University of St. Thomas Athletics
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Saint Mary's (Calif.)
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Tommies extend win streak in 74-60 win
11/21/2023 10:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
St. Thomas ties longest win streak in DI era
MORAGA, CALIF. – Tick. Tack. Toe. Give an X. Give an O. Give the University of St. Thomas women's basketball team three in a row. The Tommies won their third consecutive game Tuesday evening, as they took care of business in a resounding win over Saint Mary's (California). Thanks to a .900 shooting night from Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) and double-digit scoring performances from three student-athletes, St. Thomas earned a 74-60 win over the Gaels. With the win, the Tommies improve to 3-1 on the season, matching the longest win streak for the program in the Division I era.
RECAP:
Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) came out hot to start the game, propelling St. Thomas to a 6-2 lead by singlehandedly scoring the team's first six points of the game. However, Saint Mary's eventually settled into its home arena, going on a 5-0 run to go up 7-6 by the five minute mark. While the Tommies shooters went cold, the Gaels stayed hot, extending the lead to 12-8. St. Thomas wasn't deterred, as baskets from Jordyn Glynn (Grand Meadow, Minn. / Grand Meadow), Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South and Langbehn helped stop the bleeding at tie the game at 13-13. Saint Mary's would have the last word of the quarter, though, scoring a quick layup at the buzzer to go up 16-14 at the end of the first.
Langbehn scored the Tommies first four points to settle the team into the second quarter, tying the game for the Tommies at 18 apiece. After a three pointer from Phoebe Frentzel (Hartland, Wis. / Arrowhead) gave St. Thomas a 21-20 lead in the second quarter, the Tommies were off and running. Baskets from Scalia and Langbehn allowed St. Thomas to extend its lead to 26-21, as the team seemingly started to pull away late in the quarter. However, the Gaels went on a run of their own, cutting the lead to 26-25 and apparently halting the Tommies momentum. Langbehn put the team on her shoulders, making three consecutive baskets to regain a 32-27 advantage for St. Thomas before baskets from Frentzel and Jordyn Lamker (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) secured a 39-32 halftime lead for the Tommies.
St. Thomas picked up right where it left off in the second half, both offensively and defensively. Faith Feuerbach (Sycamore, Ill. / Sycamore) scored the Tommies first points in the third quarter thanks to a three pointer that extended the lead to 42-34. From that point on, St. Thomas was clicking on all cylinders. Langbehn and Hill continued to punish Saint Mary's miscues on defense, as the duo gave the Tommies their largest lead of the night at 47-34. That was when the Gaels made things interesting. After a quiet third quarter, the home team went on a 9-0 run, cutting the deficit to four points at 47-37.
It was the usual suspects that put St. Thomas on their backs. Hill, Scalia and Glynn continued to shine when it mattered most, extending the Tommies lead to 57-45 with under five minutes to go in the third quarter. Still, Saint Mary's would not go away quietly, though the Gaels did only manage to cut the St. Thomas lead to 59-49 by the end of the third.
With a 10 point lead and only 10 minutes remaining in the game, the Tommies came out determined in the fourth, ready to put Saint Mary's to bed for good. Frentzel fired off a three-pointer seconds in and St. Thomas was off to the races. The team made three after three, extending its lead to 65-49 before Hill and Feuerbach secured the Tommies largest lead of the night at 69-45. St. Thomas' defense then held the Gaels at bay, as a rebound by Lizzie Steingraber (New London, Wis. / New London) secured the 74-60 win for the Tommies.
TOP TOMMIES
- Junior Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) had a superb night on the court for St. Thomas, as she led the team in points and field goal percentage. The Summit League's top shooter under the basket scored 19 points on 9-10 shooting with five rebounds and a steal.
- Sophomore Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) added 16 points on 5-14 shooting from the field and 4-8 shooting from the three-point line. She also contributed three rebounds, 2 assists and snatched one steal.
- Junior Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) added 16 points on 7-12 shooting and also dished out five assists.
- Fifth year senior Jordyn Glynn (Grand Meadow, Minn. / Grand Meadow) led the team in rebounds, pulling in 10 Tuesday evening.
WINNING WAYS
The Tommies tied their longest win streak in the Division I era Tuesday evening, winning their third straight in a 74-60 victory over Saint Mary's (Calif.). St. Thomas won three consecutive games in Summit League play last season, logging wins over Oral Roberts, Kansas City and Western Illinois from February 9 to February 18. However, this is the first time in the DI era the Tommies have carded three consecutive nonconference wins in a row thanks to Tuesday's win.
TOP TEAR TRIO
Langbehn, Scalia and Hill all scored in double-digits in the same game for the second time this season, the first being in the season opening loss to Drake on November 6. Scalia and Hill continued their scoring barrages, as they became the first Tommie duo in the DI era to score in double-digits in four consecutive games to open a season. Langbehn just missed the 10 point scoring mark, tallying eight points in St. Thomas' win over UW-River Falls and nine in the win over Utah Valley on Saturday before Tuesday's outburst.
UP NEXT
The Tommies will continue their trek through California, as they are set to play in Pacific University's Turkey Tip-Off Classic November 24-25 in Stockton, California. St. Thomas will take on UC Irvine at 3:00 p.m. CT on Friday, November 24 before squaring off against Butler at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 25.
