University of St. Thomas Athletics
Saturday, December 7
Moscow, Idaho
2:00 p.m. CT
at
Idaho
Photo by: Abby Bondi
Tommies head west to take on Idaho
12/6/2024 11:54:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ST. PAUL, MINN. – The University of St. Thomas women's basketball team hit a bit of a speed bump in its first Big Sky-Summit League Challenge game. The Tommies were dealt a 62-54 loss by Northern Colorado, falling to 6-3 through the first nine games of the 2024-25 season. St. Thomas will look to rebound on the road Saturday, as the team takes on the University of Idaho Vandals.
Tip off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CT in Moscow, Idaho on Saturday. Like Wednesday, the Tommies and Vandals are evenly matched teams, boasting two of the strongest defenses in their respective conferences. However, St. Thomas does hold an advantage when it comes to scoring, through the team will have its hands full with an Idaho defense that has allowed just 40.0 points per game in the past two weeks.
Fans who are unable to attend in person can now watch St. Thomas women's basketball on ESPN+ this upcoming Saturday. Subscriptions start at $10.99/month for just ESPN, with the price set to increase on October 17, 2024. Fans can also follow the live stats on the Vandal's official athletics website, govandals.com, and follow the Tommies on social media (@tommiewbball) for live updates.
LAST TIME OUT: St. Thomas saw its three-game win streak snapped by Northern Colorado on Wednesday, as the Bears dealt the Tommies a 62-54 defeat in Schoenecker Arena. Not only was it St. Thomas' first loss at home this season, it also marked the fewest points the Tommies have scored at home this season. While St. Thomas did shoot .400 from the floor, the Tommies were just 2-14 from three-point range and 8-14 from the charity stripe. St. Thomas bench was also outscored 20-6 by Northern Colorado, though the Tommies did outrebound the Bears 35-30 in the defeat, including a 14-10 advantage on offensive boards.
TUNE IN: Saturday's game in Moscow, Idaho will steam on ESPN+. Subscriptions start at $10.99/month for just ESPN, with the price set to increase on October 17, 2024. Fans can also follow the live stats on Idaho's official athletics website, govandals.com, and live score updates will be made to St. Thomas women's basketball official X account (@tommiewbball).
THE OPPOSITION: The Tommies will once again have their hands full in their second Big Sky-Summit Challenge game, as they travel to Moscow, Idaho to take on the much improved Idaho Vandals. After posting a 15-16 record in 2023-24, including an 8-10 mark in Big Sky play, the Vandals are off to a 5-2 start and are the winners of five straight after opening the season with back-to-back losses to BYU and Washington State. However, Idaho's offense hasn't necessarily been dominant during the team's five game win streak. Excluding a 94-54 win over Montana Tech on November 27, the Vandals averaged just 68.0 points per game, but their defense has been stifling. In the past five games, Idaho has held its opponents to 40.0 points, never allowing an opponent to score more than 55 in regulation.
BEST START EVER (IN DI): St. Thomas is off to its best start in the Division I era, as the team entered Wednesday's contest with a 6-2 record, including a 4-2 mark against DI opponents. It's not just that the Tommies are winning. It's how they're winning that's been impressive. St. Thomas has gritted out some impressive wins, defeating Division I opponents by an average of 6.25 points per game. Division I home games have been especially thrilling for the Tommies. Thanks to fourth quarter comebacks, St. Thomas is 2-0 against DI opponents in Schoenecker Arena, winning both games by four points or less.
Of note: Northern Colorado handed St. Thomas its first loss at home this season by a final score of 62-54.
BIG SKY-SUMMIT CHALLENGE: The Tommies will take on Idaho as part of the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge. For the second year in a row, the Big Sky and Summit League will play for a trophy to claim supremacy in Mid Major basketball. Both men's and women's results will be equally considered from 36 total games, with teams playing both at home and on the road. Whichever conference wins the most contests will be declared the victor.
SECOND QUARTER STRUGGLES: It's been no secret that St. Thomas has royally struggled during the second quarter of games this season. The Tommies are outscoring opponents 520-413 in the first, third and fourth quarter, but the second is a completely different story. After scoring just two points in the quarter against Northern Colorado on Tuesday, St. Thomas is being outscored 142-118 in the second and have yet to outscore a DI opponent in the quarter this season. In fact, the Tommies are averaging just 10.6 points in the second quarter this year (vs. DI opponents), and their two point performance against Northern Colorado is the fewest points the team has scored in a quarter this season.
CUPPA JO: Jo Langbehn is the newest member of the 1000 career points club, surpassing the mark in St. Thomas' win over UIC on Sunday. Langbehn has been nothing short of impressive in 2024-25, as she's scored a team-leading 158 points to average 17.6 points per game this season. The senior forward is also the lone Tommie to score in double-digits in eight of nine games this season and is currently shooting .660 from the floor. That number currently leads the Summit League by an impressive margin and ranks sixth in the nation. Langbehn leads Division I in field goal percentage amongst all players who have taken at least 100 shots this season.
AN APPLE A DAY... : Keeps opponents at bay. Jade Hill made history in Sunday's win over UIC, setting the DI era record for single-game assists. Hill was credited with 11 assists in the victory, the most of any Tommie player since the team made the move to Division I in 2021. She also becomes the first St. Thomas women's basketball student-athlete to record 10+ assists in a single-game in over 10 years. According to available records, no Tommie has recorded at least 10 assists in a game since the 2013-14 season. The record was set during the 1993-94 season, when Stacey Dove was credited with 14 assists against Occidental.
FEELING HOT HOT HOT!: Scalia got off to a rough start in 2024-25, scoring just seven points in the team's season opener against Milwaukee. Since November 4, the junior guard has scored 10+ points in seven of eight games, including 19 in the loss to Northern Colorado on Wednesday. Over the last four games, Scalia has scored 22, 15, 13 and 19 points respectively, averaging 17.3 during that stretch. She's also shot .500 from three-point range in three straight games entering Wednesday's game. Scalia was one of the only players to make a three in the loss.
IT'S A CHEESEHEAD THING: Green Bay native Sammy Opichka put together her best performance of the season in the Tommies win over the Flames on Sunday. The senior forward scored a season-high 22 points, her first 20+ point performance since March of 2024, on 10-15 shooting, including a 2-5 clip from three-point range. She was also a monster on the boards for St. Thomas in the victory, racking up a team-leading seven rebounds, six defensive, and two blocks. It marks her third multi-block performance of the season, as the Tommies improved to 3-0 when Opichka records two blocks in a game.
BLOCK PARTY: Blocks aren't just Opichka's thing this season. The Tommies currently lead the Summit League in total blocks (41) and blocks per game (4.56) entering Saturday's contest, and three student-athletes rank in the top-10 in the stat after nine games. Opichka currently leads the conference with 10 blocks to average 1.1 a game, while both Faith Feuerbach and Jordyn Lamker rank within in the top-10 in both categories. These three help the Tommies rank second in the Summit League in total defense, as St. Thomas is holding opponents to just 63.2 points per game in 2024-25.
STEALING 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 three steals in the win over UIC, the 13th multi-steal performance of her career in purple, and recorded at least one steal in four straight games to open the season. Twelve of those 13 performances have occurred in the last two seasons, and Milwaukee was Frentzel's third 4+ steal performance of her career. The Tommies are 8-5 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 396th 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.
Tip off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CT in Moscow, Idaho on Saturday. Like Wednesday, the Tommies and Vandals are evenly matched teams, boasting two of the strongest defenses in their respective conferences. However, St. Thomas does hold an advantage when it comes to scoring, through the team will have its hands full with an Idaho defense that has allowed just 40.0 points per game in the past two weeks.
Fans who are unable to attend in person can now watch St. Thomas women's basketball on ESPN+ this upcoming Saturday. Subscriptions start at $10.99/month for just ESPN, with the price set to increase on October 17, 2024. Fans can also follow the live stats on the Vandal's official athletics website, govandals.com, and follow the Tommies on social media (@tommiewbball) for live updates.
LAST TIME OUT: St. Thomas saw its three-game win streak snapped by Northern Colorado on Wednesday, as the Bears dealt the Tommies a 62-54 defeat in Schoenecker Arena. Not only was it St. Thomas' first loss at home this season, it also marked the fewest points the Tommies have scored at home this season. While St. Thomas did shoot .400 from the floor, the Tommies were just 2-14 from three-point range and 8-14 from the charity stripe. St. Thomas bench was also outscored 20-6 by Northern Colorado, though the Tommies did outrebound the Bears 35-30 in the defeat, including a 14-10 advantage on offensive boards.
TUNE IN: Saturday's game in Moscow, Idaho will steam on ESPN+. Subscriptions start at $10.99/month for just ESPN, with the price set to increase on October 17, 2024. Fans can also follow the live stats on Idaho's official athletics website, govandals.com, and live score updates will be made to St. Thomas women's basketball official X account (@tommiewbball).
THE OPPOSITION: The Tommies will once again have their hands full in their second Big Sky-Summit Challenge game, as they travel to Moscow, Idaho to take on the much improved Idaho Vandals. After posting a 15-16 record in 2023-24, including an 8-10 mark in Big Sky play, the Vandals are off to a 5-2 start and are the winners of five straight after opening the season with back-to-back losses to BYU and Washington State. However, Idaho's offense hasn't necessarily been dominant during the team's five game win streak. Excluding a 94-54 win over Montana Tech on November 27, the Vandals averaged just 68.0 points per game, but their defense has been stifling. In the past five games, Idaho has held its opponents to 40.0 points, never allowing an opponent to score more than 55 in regulation.
BEST START EVER (IN DI): St. Thomas is off to its best start in the Division I era, as the team entered Wednesday's contest with a 6-2 record, including a 4-2 mark against DI opponents. It's not just that the Tommies are winning. It's how they're winning that's been impressive. St. Thomas has gritted out some impressive wins, defeating Division I opponents by an average of 6.25 points per game. Division I home games have been especially thrilling for the Tommies. Thanks to fourth quarter comebacks, St. Thomas is 2-0 against DI opponents in Schoenecker Arena, winning both games by four points or less.
Of note: Northern Colorado handed St. Thomas its first loss at home this season by a final score of 62-54.
BIG SKY-SUMMIT CHALLENGE: The Tommies will take on Idaho as part of the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge. For the second year in a row, the Big Sky and Summit League will play for a trophy to claim supremacy in Mid Major basketball. Both men's and women's results will be equally considered from 36 total games, with teams playing both at home and on the road. Whichever conference wins the most contests will be declared the victor.
SECOND QUARTER STRUGGLES: It's been no secret that St. Thomas has royally struggled during the second quarter of games this season. The Tommies are outscoring opponents 520-413 in the first, third and fourth quarter, but the second is a completely different story. After scoring just two points in the quarter against Northern Colorado on Tuesday, St. Thomas is being outscored 142-118 in the second and have yet to outscore a DI opponent in the quarter this season. In fact, the Tommies are averaging just 10.6 points in the second quarter this year (vs. DI opponents), and their two point performance against Northern Colorado is the fewest points the team has scored in a quarter this season.
CUPPA JO: Jo Langbehn is the newest member of the 1000 career points club, surpassing the mark in St. Thomas' win over UIC on Sunday. Langbehn has been nothing short of impressive in 2024-25, as she's scored a team-leading 158 points to average 17.6 points per game this season. The senior forward is also the lone Tommie to score in double-digits in eight of nine games this season and is currently shooting .660 from the floor. That number currently leads the Summit League by an impressive margin and ranks sixth in the nation. Langbehn leads Division I in field goal percentage amongst all players who have taken at least 100 shots this season.
AN APPLE A DAY... : Keeps opponents at bay. Jade Hill made history in Sunday's win over UIC, setting the DI era record for single-game assists. Hill was credited with 11 assists in the victory, the most of any Tommie player since the team made the move to Division I in 2021. She also becomes the first St. Thomas women's basketball student-athlete to record 10+ assists in a single-game in over 10 years. According to available records, no Tommie has recorded at least 10 assists in a game since the 2013-14 season. The record was set during the 1993-94 season, when Stacey Dove was credited with 14 assists against Occidental.
FEELING HOT HOT HOT!: Scalia got off to a rough start in 2024-25, scoring just seven points in the team's season opener against Milwaukee. Since November 4, the junior guard has scored 10+ points in seven of eight games, including 19 in the loss to Northern Colorado on Wednesday. Over the last four games, Scalia has scored 22, 15, 13 and 19 points respectively, averaging 17.3 during that stretch. She's also shot .500 from three-point range in three straight games entering Wednesday's game. Scalia was one of the only players to make a three in the loss.
IT'S A CHEESEHEAD THING: Green Bay native Sammy Opichka put together her best performance of the season in the Tommies win over the Flames on Sunday. The senior forward scored a season-high 22 points, her first 20+ point performance since March of 2024, on 10-15 shooting, including a 2-5 clip from three-point range. She was also a monster on the boards for St. Thomas in the victory, racking up a team-leading seven rebounds, six defensive, and two blocks. It marks her third multi-block performance of the season, as the Tommies improved to 3-0 when Opichka records two blocks in a game.
BLOCK PARTY: Blocks aren't just Opichka's thing this season. The Tommies currently lead the Summit League in total blocks (41) and blocks per game (4.56) entering Saturday's contest, and three student-athletes rank in the top-10 in the stat after nine games. Opichka currently leads the conference with 10 blocks to average 1.1 a game, while both Faith Feuerbach and Jordyn Lamker rank within in the top-10 in both categories. These three help the Tommies rank second in the Summit League in total defense, as St. Thomas is holding opponents to just 63.2 points per game in 2024-25.
STEALING 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 three steals in the win over UIC, the 13th multi-steal performance of her career in purple, and recorded at least one steal in four straight games to open the season. Twelve of those 13 performances have occurred in the last two seasons, and Milwaukee was Frentzel's third 4+ steal performance of her career. The Tommies are 8-5 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 396th 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.
Players Mentioned
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