University of St. Thomas Athletics
Thursday, February 1
St. Paul, Minn.
7:00 p.m. Central
13-9,5-3Summit League
88
vs
83
Omaha
5-17,1-8Summit League
1
2
3
4
F
Omaha
20
27
16
20
83
St. Thomas (MN)
19
23
34
12
88
Team Stats
UNO
UST
FG%
.458
.542
3FG%
.433
.667
FT%
.762
.875
RB
29
32
TO
17
19
STL
8
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
30
FGM
10
3FGM
6
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
The Tommies bench celebrates a three in the first half of Thursday's game.
Photo by: Rebecca Twite
Tommies hang on for 88-83 win over Omaha
2/1/2024 9:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Scalia scores 30 points for second straight game
ST. PAUL, Minn. - The University of St. Thomas women's basketball just keeps on winning. The Tommies defeated the University of Nebraska Omaha on Thursday, February 1, dowing the Mavericks by a score of 88-83. Omaha entered Thursday's game with a 1-7 record in conference, and the Tommies were 4-3, sitting in fourth place and looking to cement their place in the top-4 of the Summit League standings. St. Thomas did just that, improving to 13-9 overall and 5-3 in conference play. Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) scored 30 points, marking her second consecutive 30+ point game thanks to 6-of-8 from behind the arc.. Scalia now has 500 points on her career as a sophomore, with 394 coming from this season alone.
The Tommies shot .667 behind the arc (10-of-15), while the Mavericks only shot .430. St. Thomas out rebounded Omaha (32-29) in the game.
RECAP
It did not take long for the Tommies to get the ball rolling. Graduate student Angelina Hammond (Hopkins, Minn. / Hopkins) and junior Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn./ South) scored back-to-back baskets for St. Thomas, giving the team with a quick 4-3 lead just seconds in. The Mavericks were quick to respond, jumping out to a 7-4 lead and seemingly stealing the momentum from the Tommies. Scalia, though, had other ideas. The sophomore went on a nine point run by herself, tying the game at 11 and giving St. Thomas a 17-14 advantage. First year Lizzie Steingraber (New London, Wis. / New London) also got in on the scoring, but Omaha managed to hold a 20-19 after the first quarter.
With Hill in foul trouble after the first, St. Thomas found itself in trouble in the second quarter. Even though Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) and Scalia scored a combined seven points in the first five minutes of play, the Mavericks continued to control the pace of play. Strong play from Scalia and Hammond kept the game close, and the Tommies trailed just 36-35 with four minutes remaining in the half. Omaha, though, once again took advantage in the closing minutes, and took a 47-42 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The third quarter belonged to St. Thomas, as the Tommies outscored the Mavericks 34-16 coming out of the locker room at half. Jordyn Glynn (Grand Meadow, Minn. / Grand Meadow) was unstoppable to open the quarter, as was junior forward Sammy Opichka (Green Bay, Wis. / Notre Dame). The duo scored seven consecutive points for St. Thomas, swinging the momentum back in the home team's direction. Stingy defense also helped the Tommies open the third with a 12-2 run, as steals by Hill and Steingraber knocked the Mavericks completely off kilter offensively. By the end of the quarter, St. Thomas would hold a 76-53 lead, something it would never relinquish. However, things got interesting in the fourth quarter. Omaha flipped the script on the Tommies, holding the home team to just 12 points in the final 10 minutes of play. However, those 12 points were enough to come away with an 88-83 victory. Thanks to clutch baskets from Scalia, Opichka and Hill, St. Thomas walked away with its fifth Summit League win of the season and matched its win total from the 2022-23 season.
TOP TOMMIES
The Tommies shot .667 behind the arc (10-of-15), while the Mavericks only shot .430. St. Thomas out rebounded Omaha (32-29) in the game.
RECAP
It did not take long for the Tommies to get the ball rolling. Graduate student Angelina Hammond (Hopkins, Minn. / Hopkins) and junior Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn./ South) scored back-to-back baskets for St. Thomas, giving the team with a quick 4-3 lead just seconds in. The Mavericks were quick to respond, jumping out to a 7-4 lead and seemingly stealing the momentum from the Tommies. Scalia, though, had other ideas. The sophomore went on a nine point run by herself, tying the game at 11 and giving St. Thomas a 17-14 advantage. First year Lizzie Steingraber (New London, Wis. / New London) also got in on the scoring, but Omaha managed to hold a 20-19 after the first quarter.
With Hill in foul trouble after the first, St. Thomas found itself in trouble in the second quarter. Even though Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) and Scalia scored a combined seven points in the first five minutes of play, the Mavericks continued to control the pace of play. Strong play from Scalia and Hammond kept the game close, and the Tommies trailed just 36-35 with four minutes remaining in the half. Omaha, though, once again took advantage in the closing minutes, and took a 47-42 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The third quarter belonged to St. Thomas, as the Tommies outscored the Mavericks 34-16 coming out of the locker room at half. Jordyn Glynn (Grand Meadow, Minn. / Grand Meadow) was unstoppable to open the quarter, as was junior forward Sammy Opichka (Green Bay, Wis. / Notre Dame). The duo scored seven consecutive points for St. Thomas, swinging the momentum back in the home team's direction. Stingy defense also helped the Tommies open the third with a 12-2 run, as steals by Hill and Steingraber knocked the Mavericks completely off kilter offensively. By the end of the quarter, St. Thomas would hold a 76-53 lead, something it would never relinquish. However, things got interesting in the fourth quarter. Omaha flipped the script on the Tommies, holding the home team to just 12 points in the final 10 minutes of play. However, those 12 points were enough to come away with an 88-83 victory. Thanks to clutch baskets from Scalia, Opichka and Hill, St. Thomas walked away with its fifth Summit League win of the season and matched its win total from the 2022-23 season.
TOP TOMMIES
- Sophomore Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) led the Tommies with 30 points, going 6-of-8 behind the arc and 10-of-14 from the floor. She had two rebounds, three assists and one steal on the night.
- Junior Sammy Opichka (Green Bay, Wis. / Notre Dame) scored a season-high 15 points on 5-of-9, including a 4-of-4 on the line. Opichka also scored a season-high nine rebounds in the victory.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas will return to Schoenecker Arena on Saturday, February 3, as the team hosts the University of Missouri-Kansas City at 12:00 p.m. The Tommies won the previous meeting this season 66-57. The Roos are 1-7 in Summit League play entering the contest.
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Press Conference: Tommie Women's Basketball vs NDSU
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