University of St. Thomas Athletics
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Tommies return to win column with 73-62 victory at Oakland
11/21/2024 6:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ROCHESTER, MICH. - The University of St. Thomas women's basketball team is back in the "W" column. Thanks to a furious second half rally, and 22 points apiece from Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) and Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River), the Tommies defeated Oakland University 73-62 in Rochester, Michigan. With the win, St Thomas is now 4-2 overall.
RECAP:
For the first time this season, things did not go the Tommies way in the first quarter, as they were outscored 19-14 in the first 10 minutes of play. St. Thomas tried to set the pace early in the game, but Oakland took control quickly, jumping out to a 10-6 lead before extending its advantage to 17-8 by the 2:30 mark. However, the Tommies showed life in the final two minutes of the first, as they outscored the Golden Grizzlies 8-2 to close the gap to 19-14 entering the second quarter.
The St. Thomas defense truly showed its stuff in the second quarter, holding Oakland to just 12 points on 5-14 shooting, including a 1-4 mark from three-point range. However, the Tommie offense struggled to ignite, as they shot under .300 from the floor. Only Langbehn, Scalia and Jordyn Lamker (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) were able to score for St. Thomas in the quarter, keeping the Tommies within striking distance, 31-24, headed into the locker room at half.
The third quarter belongs to St. Thomas, as the Tommies wasted no time chipping away at the Oakland lead. Langbehn kicked off the quarter with a layup, and St. Thomas just took off from there, pulling within one at 37-36 on a three-pointer from Scalia. It was Langbehn who eventually gave the Tommies their first lead since the first quarter, as lead St. Thomas took and never relinquished. With Langbehn and Scalia already hot, Sammy Opichka (Green Bay, Wis. / Notre Dame Academy) got in on the scoring action, and free throws by Mikayla Werner (Hortonville, Wis. / Hortonville) and Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) secured a 51-43 advantage for St. Thomas entering the fourth and final quarter.
With an eight point lead, the Tommies offense never let up in the fourth quarter, as they converted six of nine shots and went 10-10 from the charity stripe to put any hopes of a Golden Grizzly comeback out of reach. With Oakland threatening, baskets by Hill and Langbehn helped St. Thomas maintain a six-point cushion entering the final media timeout of regulation. From that moment on, the Tommies continued to extend the lead even further until they secured the 73-62 road victory.
TOP TOMMIES
- Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) and Amber Scalia (Stillwater) put up near identical scorelines, as they both scored 22 points in Thursday's victory on 9-15 shooting. Langbehn additionally led the team with eight rebounds and three steals in the win, while Scalia tallied five rebounds and one assist.
- Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) scored 12 points and went 8-8 from the free throw line on Thursday, while Sammy Opichka (Green Bay, Wis. / Notre Dame Academy) led the team with four assists in the win.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas will return to the Schoenecker Arena on Monday, November 25, as the team hosts Macalester in its first home game in two weeks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in St. Paul, Minnesota.
