University of St. Thomas Athletics
10-6,2-0Summit League
Portland State
5-9,0-2Big Sky
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Second half surge leads Tommies to 62-44 victory
1/6/2024 7:28:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PORTLAND, ORE. – The University of St. Thomas women's basketball team is on a roll. The Tommies won their fifth consecutive game Saturday afternoon, defeating Portland State in the second game of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge. After a close first half, St. Thomas used a second half surge to defeat the Vikings 62-44, improving to 10-6 overall with a 2-0 mark in Summit League play.
RECAP:
The Tommies nearly led the contest from beginning to end, as they took a fast and quick lead in the first quarter and never looked back. In fact, St. Thomas opened the game with a 7-0 run, as baskets from Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) and Jordyn Glynn (Grand Meadow, Minn. / Grand Meadow) fueled the team's fast start. After a sluggish start of its own, though, Portland State started to put the pieces together, using a tricky zone defense to force multiple Tommie turnovers and eventually whittle the lead to 7-6 with 4:13 remaining in the quarter.
St. Thomas managed to eek out a 10-8 first quarter lead and led the game for the majority of the second quarter. Still, the Vikings made things interesting, taking their first lead of the game on a three-pointer by Alaya Fitzgerald. The Tommies answered with a three by Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South), regaining a 16-15 advantage, but Portland State once again hit another three to go up 18-16 with 5:27 left in the half.
A free throw would give the Vikings their largest and final lead of the game one minute later, as St. Thomas made quick work to stop the bleeding and regain an advantage. Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) tied the game at 19-19 before Sammy Opichka (Green Bay, Wis. / Notre Dame) gave the Tommies a lead they would never relinquish. Up 22-19, St. Thomas would outscore Portland State 6-1 in the closing minutes of the second quarter, allowing the Tommies to walk into the locker room with a 26-21 halftime lead.
After a close first half, St. Thomas completely controlled the pace of play in the second, using clutch defense and big scoring runs to extend its lead to 43-34 by the end of the third quarter. Despite controlling the game, the Tommies could not fully put away the Vikings, who continued to hang around and keep things close. Twice Portland State managed to pull the score within a possessing, cutting the lead all the way down to three points. However, the Vikings had no answer for St. Thomas' play in the paint. Langbehn, Angelina Hammond (Hopkins, Minn. / Hopkins) and Jordyn Lamker (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) were forces to be reckoned with inside, helping the Tommies extend their lead to 411 points near the end of the third quarter.
It wasn't until the fourth, though, when St. Thomas was able to put Portland State to bed for good. A Fitzgerald three-pointer did put some fear in Tommie fans near and far, as the Vikings cut the lead to a seemingly manageable 43-37. That was the closest Portland State would come to catching St. Thomas. Hill went on a seven-point scoring run of her own, boosting the Tommie lead to 54-40 and truly putting it out of arms reach for the Vikings. It was Scalia who truly put it out of reach, sinking two free throws with 22 seconds on the clock to secure the 62-44 win.
TOP TOMMIES
- Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) once again led the team with a 16 point performance thanks to 6-13 shooting from the floor. She also tallied four rebounds, four steals and three assists in the win.
- Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) scored 14 points, seven in the fourth quarter alone, and added two steals, five assists and five rebounds in the win. Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) closed the game with 15 points and a team-leading seven rebounds.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas returns to Summit League play in its next contest, as the Tommies are tasked with taking on South Dakota State in its third conference game of the year. Tip off between St. Thomas and the Jack Rabbits is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 11 in Brookings, South Dakota.
