University of St. Thomas Athletics
Sunday, December 1
St. Paul, Minn.
12:00 p.m. CT
vs
UIC
Photo by: Caroline Turnbull
St. Thomas opens December against UIC
11/29/2024 3:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball
| Black Friday Ticket Pacakage |
ST. PAUL, MINN. – It's about to be a busy month for the University of St. Thomas women's basketball team. Specifically, it's about to be a busy week. The Tommies will play three games in the next seven days, two at home, starting with their December opener against UIC on Sunday, December 1. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota.
After spending most of November on the road, fans will have plenty of opportunity to see St. Thomas in action on its own home court. Sunday is the first of four home games for the Tommies in the month of December, including two this week. Sunday's game is also a part of St. Thomas' Black Friday ticket package. For the low price of $20, fans will receive a ticket to four Tommie home events, including the home men's hockey series versus Lake Superior State (November 29 – 30), Sunday's women's basketball game against the Flames, and Monday's men's basketball contest against Chicago State. Tickets are currently on sale at www.tommiesports.com/tickets.
Fans can still purchase season and single game tickets at www.tommiesports.com/tickets. Fans who are unable to attend in person can now watch St. Thomas women's basketball through the Summit League Network and the Midco Sports Plus App. The subscription-based service will provide a digital streaming platform for regular season home St. Thomas football games along with exclusive Tommie and Pioneer Football League (PFL) content, including replays, highlights, interviews, and special feature stories. Subscriptions cost $9.99 per month or $79.99 for an annual plan. Fans can also listen to the call on 1500 ESPN and the Varsity Network App and follow Live Stats on TommieSports.com.
LAST TIME OUT: St. Thomas opened its three-day homestand with an impressive win over Macalester, improving to 5-2 with a resounding 84-43 victory. The Tommies defense held the Scots to just 18 first half points, nine in each quarter, as Macalester made just one three in the entire opening 20 minutes of play. St. Thomas also put together one of its best shooting performances of the season. The Tommies shot .544 from the floor, including a .476 clip from three-point range, and Jade Hill, Amber Scalia and Jo Langbehn each scored over 10 points for the second consecutive game.
THE OPPOSITION: UIC enters Sunday's contest with an overall record in 1-3 and earned its first win of the 2024-25 season on Wednesday. The Flames upended Northern Illinois 69-66 the day before Thanksgiving, fueled primarily by a strong performance from the bench. Reserves Jalysa Stokes and Keimari Rimmer scored a combined 30 points for UIC off the bench, leading the Flames to their first victory of the season. While UIC saw the bench score 44 of its 69 points, scoring has been a bit of a struggle for the team in 2024-25. The Flames enter Sunday's contest averaging just 62.8 points per game and shooting under .400 from the floor.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: This will the second meeting between St. Thomas and UIC, and the first time the two teams will meet in Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies traveled to Chicago for the last meeting between these two teams in 2022-23, falling to the Flames by a final score of 75-71. Current seniors Jordyn Lamker, Jade Hill and Jo Langbehn led the team in scoring in the loss, with Lamker tallying a team-leading 14 points in defeat. Hill and Langbehn each scored 11 in the loss, and Sammy Opichka, Faith Feuerbach and Amber Scalia all saw action on the court.
THE BIG THREE: It was no secret entering the 2024-25 season as the Tommies success would be predicated on the success of their big three: Jade Hill, Amber Scalia and Jo Langbehn. St. Thomas is 5-2 through seven games in 2024-25, and 3-0 when Hill, Scalia and Langbehn score 10+ points in a game. Monday marked the first time this season the three have all scored double-digit points in back-to-back games, leading St. Thomas to two consecutive victories over Oakland and Macalester.
SECOND QUARTER STRUGGLES: Overall, St. Thomas is outscoring its opponents 526-436 this season, including an impressive 147-94 mark in the first quarter. While the Tommies are well known for their red hot starts, they struggle in the second quarter in particular. Through the first six games of the season, St. Thomas is being outscored 104-78 in the second quarter alone but brought the margin closer in its win over the Scots. The Tommies pulled within 11 points of its opponents in the second quarter and are now only being outscored 113-101.
MILESTONE WATCH: It's no secret Jo Langbehn has been red hot to start the 2024-25 season. The senior forward has scored 124 points through the first seven games of 2024-25, pulling within striking distance of 1000 career points. Entering Sunday's game, Langbehn has scored 995 career points and needs just five on Sunday to reach the 1000 point threshold. She would become the second St. Thomas women's basketball player to score 1000 points in the DI era, joining Jade Hill, who eclipsed the mark against NSDU last season. Amber Scalia is also on milestone watch. While the junior got off to a slow start this season, she's now scored 750 points in her Tommie career and is now within 250 points of 1000.
TRENDING UPWARD: There may be one common denominator to St. Thomas' success this season: scoring (duh). While it is imperative for teams to score more points than their opponents to achieve victory, the numbers for the Tommies are staggering in 2024-25. St. Thomas is 5-0 when scoring at least 70 points in a game and 0-2 when not meeting the 70 point threshold. In fact, the Tommies were unable to score more than 70 points in both their losses this season, as #8 Iowa State held St. Thomas to just 47 points in Ames, Iowa on November 14. Wichita State then held the Tommies to 64 points in a 69-64 loss on November 16.
MORE ON THE SCORING THING: Remember when we mentioned St. Thomas' big three (Hill, Langbehn and Scalia)? Well, in addition to scoring at least 70 points in a game, the Tommies are 5-0 when Langbehn, in particular, scores in double-digits. The senior forward has scores at least 10 points in St. Thomas' victories over Milwaukee, Crown, NIU, Oakland and Macalester, and was the leading scorer in two of those five wins. However, a big night from Langbehn isn't a guaranteed win for St. Thomas. Langbehn scored a career-high 30 points in the Tommies 69-64 loss to the Shockers earlier this month after uncharacteristically quiet nights from Hill and Scalia. Hill was held to nine points and Scalia four by the Shockers defense, making the lowest combined scoring total for the backcourt duo this season.
BLOCK PARTY: St. Thomas' defense has been a turnover machine early in the season and particularly impressive when it comes to blocked shots. The Tommies continue to lead the Summit League in total blocks (33) and blocks per game (4.71), and four different student-athletes rank in the top-15 in the conference in blocks and blocks per game. A startling stat? None of them are Langbehn, the team's starting forward. Currently, senior Sammy Opichka and junior Faith Feuerbach lead the conference in total blocks (7) and ranks second in the Summit League in blocks per game (1.0). Mikayla Werner and Jordyn Lamker join their teammates in the top-15 in the Summit League this season with four blocks in seven games.
STEALOING VICTORIES: Guess who recorded multiple steals in yet another victory for St. Thomas. Phoebe Frentzel. One of the top players on Sinn's bench, Frentzel was credited with two steals in the win over Macalester, the 12th multi-steal performance of her career in purple, and recorded at least one steal in four straight games to open the season. Eleven of those 12 performances have occurred in the last two seasons, and Milwaukee was Frentzel's third 4+ steal performance of her career. The Tommies are 7-5 all-time when Frentzel records at least two steals in a game, and 2-1 in her 4+ steal games.
COUNTDOWN TO 400: Ruth Sinn won her 394th game as St. Thomas' head women's basketball coach, bringing her one step closer to 400 career wins. Already the winningest coach in program history, Sinn surpassed Ted Riverso's previous record of 337 career wins in 2019-20 and looks to become the first coach in Tommie women's basketball history to win 400 games with the program. Additionally, Sinn would join former St. Thomas men's basketball coach and athletic director Steve Fritz, current volleyball coach Thanh Pham, former baseball coach Dennis Denning and former softball coach John Tschida as the only head coaches in St. Thomas history with over 400 wins with their respective programs. Of her 394 wins, 26 came against Macalester, accounting for 15% of her career total with the Tommies.
Of note: Sinn would join volleyball coach Thanh Pham as the two coaches in St. Thomas history to eclipse the 400 career win threshold with victories at both the Division I and Division III level. Of Sinn's 394 career wins, 39 have occurred at the Division I level, including 34 against DI opponents.
ST. PAUL, MINN. – It's about to be a busy month for the University of St. Thomas women's basketball team. Specifically, it's about to be a busy week. The Tommies will play three games in the next seven days, two at home, starting with their December opener against UIC on Sunday, December 1. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota.
After spending most of November on the road, fans will have plenty of opportunity to see St. Thomas in action on its own home court. Sunday is the first of four home games for the Tommies in the month of December, including two this week. Sunday's game is also a part of St. Thomas' Black Friday ticket package. For the low price of $20, fans will receive a ticket to four Tommie home events, including the home men's hockey series versus Lake Superior State (November 29 – 30), Sunday's women's basketball game against the Flames, and Monday's men's basketball contest against Chicago State. Tickets are currently on sale at www.tommiesports.com/tickets.
Fans can still purchase season and single game tickets at www.tommiesports.com/tickets. Fans who are unable to attend in person can now watch St. Thomas women's basketball through the Summit League Network and the Midco Sports Plus App. The subscription-based service will provide a digital streaming platform for regular season home St. Thomas football games along with exclusive Tommie and Pioneer Football League (PFL) content, including replays, highlights, interviews, and special feature stories. Subscriptions cost $9.99 per month or $79.99 for an annual plan. Fans can also listen to the call on 1500 ESPN and the Varsity Network App and follow Live Stats on TommieSports.com.
LAST TIME OUT: St. Thomas opened its three-day homestand with an impressive win over Macalester, improving to 5-2 with a resounding 84-43 victory. The Tommies defense held the Scots to just 18 first half points, nine in each quarter, as Macalester made just one three in the entire opening 20 minutes of play. St. Thomas also put together one of its best shooting performances of the season. The Tommies shot .544 from the floor, including a .476 clip from three-point range, and Jade Hill, Amber Scalia and Jo Langbehn each scored over 10 points for the second consecutive game.
THE OPPOSITION: UIC enters Sunday's contest with an overall record in 1-3 and earned its first win of the 2024-25 season on Wednesday. The Flames upended Northern Illinois 69-66 the day before Thanksgiving, fueled primarily by a strong performance from the bench. Reserves Jalysa Stokes and Keimari Rimmer scored a combined 30 points for UIC off the bench, leading the Flames to their first victory of the season. While UIC saw the bench score 44 of its 69 points, scoring has been a bit of a struggle for the team in 2024-25. The Flames enter Sunday's contest averaging just 62.8 points per game and shooting under .400 from the floor.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: This will the second meeting between St. Thomas and UIC, and the first time the two teams will meet in Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies traveled to Chicago for the last meeting between these two teams in 2022-23, falling to the Flames by a final score of 75-71. Current seniors Jordyn Lamker, Jade Hill and Jo Langbehn led the team in scoring in the loss, with Lamker tallying a team-leading 14 points in defeat. Hill and Langbehn each scored 11 in the loss, and Sammy Opichka, Faith Feuerbach and Amber Scalia all saw action on the court.
THE BIG THREE: It was no secret entering the 2024-25 season as the Tommies success would be predicated on the success of their big three: Jade Hill, Amber Scalia and Jo Langbehn. St. Thomas is 5-2 through seven games in 2024-25, and 3-0 when Hill, Scalia and Langbehn score 10+ points in a game. Monday marked the first time this season the three have all scored double-digit points in back-to-back games, leading St. Thomas to two consecutive victories over Oakland and Macalester.
SECOND QUARTER STRUGGLES: Overall, St. Thomas is outscoring its opponents 526-436 this season, including an impressive 147-94 mark in the first quarter. While the Tommies are well known for their red hot starts, they struggle in the second quarter in particular. Through the first six games of the season, St. Thomas is being outscored 104-78 in the second quarter alone but brought the margin closer in its win over the Scots. The Tommies pulled within 11 points of its opponents in the second quarter and are now only being outscored 113-101.
MILESTONE WATCH: It's no secret Jo Langbehn has been red hot to start the 2024-25 season. The senior forward has scored 124 points through the first seven games of 2024-25, pulling within striking distance of 1000 career points. Entering Sunday's game, Langbehn has scored 995 career points and needs just five on Sunday to reach the 1000 point threshold. She would become the second St. Thomas women's basketball player to score 1000 points in the DI era, joining Jade Hill, who eclipsed the mark against NSDU last season. Amber Scalia is also on milestone watch. While the junior got off to a slow start this season, she's now scored 750 points in her Tommie career and is now within 250 points of 1000.
TRENDING UPWARD: There may be one common denominator to St. Thomas' success this season: scoring (duh). While it is imperative for teams to score more points than their opponents to achieve victory, the numbers for the Tommies are staggering in 2024-25. St. Thomas is 5-0 when scoring at least 70 points in a game and 0-2 when not meeting the 70 point threshold. In fact, the Tommies were unable to score more than 70 points in both their losses this season, as #8 Iowa State held St. Thomas to just 47 points in Ames, Iowa on November 14. Wichita State then held the Tommies to 64 points in a 69-64 loss on November 16.
MORE ON THE SCORING THING: Remember when we mentioned St. Thomas' big three (Hill, Langbehn and Scalia)? Well, in addition to scoring at least 70 points in a game, the Tommies are 5-0 when Langbehn, in particular, scores in double-digits. The senior forward has scores at least 10 points in St. Thomas' victories over Milwaukee, Crown, NIU, Oakland and Macalester, and was the leading scorer in two of those five wins. However, a big night from Langbehn isn't a guaranteed win for St. Thomas. Langbehn scored a career-high 30 points in the Tommies 69-64 loss to the Shockers earlier this month after uncharacteristically quiet nights from Hill and Scalia. Hill was held to nine points and Scalia four by the Shockers defense, making the lowest combined scoring total for the backcourt duo this season.
BLOCK PARTY: St. Thomas' defense has been a turnover machine early in the season and particularly impressive when it comes to blocked shots. The Tommies continue to lead the Summit League in total blocks (33) and blocks per game (4.71), and four different student-athletes rank in the top-15 in the conference in blocks and blocks per game. A startling stat? None of them are Langbehn, the team's starting forward. Currently, senior Sammy Opichka and junior Faith Feuerbach lead the conference in total blocks (7) and ranks second in the Summit League in blocks per game (1.0). Mikayla Werner and Jordyn Lamker join their teammates in the top-15 in the Summit League this season with four blocks in seven games.
STEALOING VICTORIES: Guess who recorded multiple steals in yet another victory for St. Thomas. Phoebe Frentzel. One of the top players on Sinn's bench, Frentzel was credited with two steals in the win over Macalester, the 12th multi-steal performance of her career in purple, and recorded at least one steal in four straight games to open the season. Eleven of those 12 performances have occurred in the last two seasons, and Milwaukee was Frentzel's third 4+ steal performance of her career. The Tommies are 7-5 all-time when Frentzel records at least two steals in a game, and 2-1 in her 4+ steal games.
COUNTDOWN TO 400: Ruth Sinn won her 394th game as St. Thomas' head women's basketball coach, bringing her one step closer to 400 career wins. Already the winningest coach in program history, Sinn surpassed Ted Riverso's previous record of 337 career wins in 2019-20 and looks to become the first coach in Tommie women's basketball history to win 400 games with the program. Additionally, Sinn would join former St. Thomas men's basketball coach and athletic director Steve Fritz, current volleyball coach Thanh Pham, former baseball coach Dennis Denning and former softball coach John Tschida as the only head coaches in St. Thomas history with over 400 wins with their respective programs. Of her 394 wins, 26 came against Macalester, accounting for 15% of her career total with the Tommies.
Of note: Sinn would join volleyball coach Thanh Pham as the two coaches in St. Thomas history to eclipse the 400 career win threshold with victories at both the Division I and Division III level. Of Sinn's 394 career wins, 39 have occurred at the Division I level, including 34 against DI opponents.
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