University of St. Thomas Athletics
3-2,0-0Summit League
UC Irvine
3-2,0-0Big West
Tommies come up short against UC Irvine
11/24/2023 5:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Comeback incomplete in 74-63 loss
STOCKTON, CALIF. – The University of St. Thomas women's basketball team was feeling good entering the Turkey Tip Off at Pacific University. The Tommies entered the holiday tournament riding a three-game win streak and were playing a UC Irvine team struggling to score. Though St. Thomas put together a strong first quarter, it was unable to overcome cold shooting later in the game, as the Tommies fell to the Anteaters by a final score of 74-63. With the loss, St. Thomas is now 3-2 overall.
RECAP:
Everything was going St. Thomas' way at the start of the game. The Tommies raced out to a 9-0 lead thanks to hot shooting from Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) and Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River). The duo scored seven of St. Thomas' nine points to open the game and were part of a stifling Tommies defense. However, the Anteaters sharp shooters could not be held at bay for long. In the closing minutes of the first quarter, UC Irvine outscored St. Thomas 15-8, though the Tommies still managed to hold a 17-15 lead over the Anteaters after the opening 10 minutes of play.
The final five minutes of the first were an indicator of what was to come for St. Thomas in the second quarter. Though the Tommies shot .455 from the floor in the second 10 minutes of play, UC Irvine was even better, as the Anteaters shot .563 from the floor in the second quarter, including a 4-5 clip from three-point range. That alone allowed UC Irvine to jump ahead and hold a 37-29 halftime lead.
St. Thomas worked to make up the deficit in the third quarter, but the Tommies offense once again went through spurts of inconsistency. The defense, too, could not stop the Anteaters sharp shooters, as the visitors only continued to add to their lead. UC Irvine outscored St. Thomas 21-13 in the third quarter and extended its lead to 60-44 entering the final 10 minutes of play. The Tommies, though, put up quite the fight in the fourth quarter. St. Thomas nearly whittled the Anteaters lead within 10 points twice, but fouls and turnovers proved costly for St. Thomas. Despite double-digit scoring efforts from Hill and Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater), the Tommies still came up short, falling by final score of 74-63.
TOP TOMMIES:
- Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater and Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) scored in double-digits for the fifth consecutive game, as both tallied over 10 points in the game before the start of the fourth quarter. Scalia closed the night with a game leading 18, while Hill scored 16 points in the loss.
- Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) scored 10 points and led the team with five rebounds Friday afternoon, while Jordyn Glynn (Grand Meadow, Minn. / Grand Meadow) recorded a team-leading six assists.
UP NEXT
The Tommies will close their trip to California on Saturday, as they take on Butler University on the final day of the Turkey Tip-Off Classic. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CT at Pacific University in Stockton, California.
