University of St. Thomas Athletics
3-5,0-0Summit League
Western Illinois
7-1,0-0OVC
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Tommies come up short at Western Illinois
12/2/2023 4:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MACOMB, ILL. – The University of St. Thomas women's basketball team felt confident when it got on the bus for Macomb, Illinois. The Tommies had never lost a road game to Western Illinois University and were looking to snap a three-game skid away from the comforts of home. Despite a furious fourth quarter rally, St. Thomas came up short against its old Summit League foe, falling to Western Illinois by a final score of 82-78. With the loss, the team is now 3-5 overall.
RECAP:
The Tommies got off to a slow start in Macomb Saturday afternoon, as the Leathernecks rushed out to a 4-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. However, despite St. Thomas' early offensive struggles, Western Illinois never led by more than five points in the opening five minutes of play. After missing three consecutive baskets, the Tommies Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) converted a layup under the basket, igniting St. Thomas' offense in the process. For every basket the Leathernecks made, the Tommies had an answer, allowing the visitors to eventually tie the game at 11-11 courtesy of a five-point scoring run by Phoebe Frentzel (Hartland, Wis. / Arrowhead).
Frentzel provided a much needed spark on the bench, but St. Thomas went cold for three minutes of play. Western Illinois took advantage, going on a 9-2 run to hold a 20-13 lead with 1:26 remaining in the first quarter. The Tommies put together a furious last minute rally, whittling the Leathernecks lead to 20-17 by the end of the first quarter on a layup by Langbehn. That seemed to spark something in St. Thomas, as the team outscored its hosts 26-22 in the second quarter. That allowed the Tommies to hold a slim 43-42 halftime lead, something they were bound and determined to extend at the beginning of the third quarter.
St. Thomas came out firing to start the second half, quickly extending its lead to 51-42 thanks to outstanding play by the Tommies' guards. Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South), Frentzel and Faith Feuerbach (Sycamore, Ill. / Sycamore) connected on three consecutive baskets, helping St. Thomas extend its lead to nine points two minutes into the third quarter. However, the Tommies could not stay consistent on both ends of the ball. Slowly but surely, Western Illinois chipped away at the St. Thomas lead, using a 10-0 run to cut the Tommie lead to 53-52 with three minutes left in the quarter.
Free throws by Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) regained a three-point cushion for St. Thomas, and the Tommies clung to a 59-56 lead over the Leathernecks entering the fourth and final quarter. However, Western Illinois dominated the early stages of the fourth, cutting the St. Thomas lead to one before taking a 66-59 lead thanks to another 10-0 scoring run. From that moment on, the Tommies were forced to play catch up, and they nearly succeeded in their quest for a comeback. A three-pointer from Scalia kickstarted St. Thomas' struggling offense, though it still wasn't enough to catch Western Illinois. With two minutes left in regulation, the Leathernecks led the Tommies 77-69 and were seemingly trying to put St. Thomas to bed.
The Tommies, though, would not go down quietly. A jumper from Scalia cut the lead to 77-71 and free throws from Hill made it a four point game with 1:41 remaining in regulation. With under a minute to go, Hill got St. Thomas within three, connecting on a layup to make it 78-75, and Jordyn Lamker (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) pulled the Tommies within one at 78-77 by converting two free throws. With 20 seconds left, St. Thomas was forced to foul and had a chance to keep things tight in the final possession to potentially win in regulation or force overtime. Unfortunately, that was not on the cards for the Tommies, as the Leathernecks went 4-4 from the charity stripe in the final 20 seconds to secure the 82-78 win.
TOP TOMMIES
- Four different St. Thomas student-athletes scored in double-digits Saturday afternoon, including Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South). The junior led the team with 21 points on 7-14 shooting, six rebounds, six steals and five assists.
- Phoebe Frentzel (Hartland, Wis. / Arrowhead) provided a huge spark off the bench Saturday afternoon, scoring a career-high 15 points thanks to 6-7 shooting, including a 3-4 clip from three point range. Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) added 14 points in the loss, while Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) added 11.
- Angelina Hammond (Hopkins, Minn. / Hopkins) added a team-leading eight rebounds in the loss.
UP NEXT
The Tommies will enjoy a few days off before beginning a long road trip next Thursday. St. Thomas will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to take on the Panthers at 7:00 p.m. CT. The Tommies will then square off against Purdue-Fort Wayne on Saturday before returning home on Wednesday, December 13.
