University of St. Thomas Athletics
10-7,2-1Summit League
South Dakota State
10-5,2-0Summit League
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Tommies streak snapped by Jackrabbits
1/11/2024 8:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball
St. Thomas leads at half, but not enough in 75-55 loss
BROOKINGS, S.D. – The adage goes: all good things must come to an end. The University of St. Thomas women's basketball team saw its Division I long five-game win streak snapped Thursday evening at the hands of South Dakota State University. In their return to Summit League play, the Tommies led the favored Jackrabbits throughout the first and second quarter, holding a 35-28 halftime lead over SDSU. However, the Jackrabbits proved to be too much in the final two quarters of regulation, as they dealt St. Thomas a 75-55 loss. After the game, the Tommies now own an overall record of 10-7 with a 2-1 mark in Summit League play.
RECAP:
St. Thomas could not have asked for a better start Thursday evening. Thanks to hot shooting from Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) and Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River), the Tommies raced out to a 17-15 first quarter lead. SDSU simply had no answer for the duo of Scalia and Langbehn, as the two scored 15 of St. Thomas' 17 first quarter points, which Langbehn going 4-4 from the floor to score eight. The good times kept rolling in the second quarter, as Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) jumped on the scoring train, helping extend the Tommie advantage to 35-28 by halftime. In fact, the entire St. Thomas team shot well over 60% from the floor in the opening 20 minutes of play, fueling the team's offensive surge. The defense, meanwhile, was superb, holding the Jackrabbits to under 30 points in the first half for the first time in Summit League play this season.
With a seven point halftime cushion, the Tommies looked to extend their lead even further in the third quarter and potentially pull off the biggest upset of the DI era. Unfortunately, SDSU made adjustments in the locker room at halftime. While the Tommies continued to hold Jackrabbit star Paige Meyer to just six points, her teammates made up for the deficit as SDSU shot .692 from the floor in the third quarter alone. The Jackrabbits also outscored St. Thomas 27-12, allowing the home team to hold a 55-47 lead entering the fourth and final quarter.
The Tommies fought valiantly in the final 10 minutes of play, but the damage was already done. While SDSU continued to hold the hot hand shooting, St. Thomas went cold, as the team went scoreless for over two minutes to open the quarter. In the end, the Tommies simply could not overcome their third quarter deficit, as they fell by a final score of 75-55.
TOP TOMMIES
- Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) scored 20+ points for the second time in conference play, leading the team with 20 Thursday evening. She added three rebounds and four assists to her stat line while shooting 8-12 from the floor, including a 2-3 mark from three-point range.
- Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) was red-hot for the Tommies in the first half, as she closed the game with her second double-double of the 2023-24 season. Langbehn closed the game with 14 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds in the loss.
- Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) is 10 steps closer to 1000 career points, as she closed the game with 10 total. She also tallied four rebounds and three assists, while Phoebe Frentzel (Hartland, Wis. / Arrowhead) closed with a team-leading three steals.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas returns to Schoenecker Arena for its next conference game, as the team is set to host Oral Roberts on Saturday, January 13. Tip off is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. in St. Paul, Minnesota.
