University of St. Thomas Athletics
North Dakota State
Tommies host Bison, Jackrabbits in final home stand
2/21/2024 8:55:00 AM | Women's Basketball
St. Thomas current 6-6 and No. 5 in Summit League standings
ST. PAUL, MINN. – It feels like only yesterday the University of St. Thomas women's basketball team played its first home game of the 2023-24 season. After four months, the Tommies will play at Schoenecker Arena just two more times, as they close out their home schedule by hosting Summit League foes North Dakota State and South Dakota State this upcoming Thursday and Saturday.
St. Thomas' final two home games of the regular season have some big indicators for the conference standings. The Jackrabbits and Bison are the No. 1 and 2 teams in the Summit League this season, with records of 12-0 and 10-2 respectively. The Tommies, meanwhile, sit in fifth place with a conference record of 6-6. An upset by St. Thomas could launch the team back into the top-4 in the Summit League standings, or, at the very least, ensure a top-6 seed for the Tommies entering the final weekend of the regular season.
In addition to hosting NDSU and SDSU, there will be slew of activities and promotions happening during both games. Thursday is the team's annual Play4Kay game, which looks to unite people against all forms of cancer that effect women, and Country Day will happen on Saturday. The first 250 students through the doors will receive a FREE St. Thomas cowboy hat, courtesy of Tommie Athletics, and the team will stick around for postgame autographs in the Schoenecker Arena lobby.
Both games will air on the Summit League Network, and live stats will be available on the Tommies athletic website. The home of all Summit League action, the Summit League Network is a subscription-based platform with costs $9.99 per most or $79.99 for an annual plan. The fee provides fans and alumni with the opportunity to watch St. Thomas from a variety of devices through the Midco Sports Plus app, including phones, tablets, TVs, and web-based browser interference. Additionally, the app and its exclusive Summit League content will be available on AppleTV, Fire TV and Roku, allowing fans to sign in and watch through their account on multiple devices. Fans can subscribe at www.midcosportsplus.com.
Tommie Tidbits:
LAST TIME OUT: St. Thomas dropped its third straight game on Saturday, falling to South Dakota 75-61 in Vermillion, South Dakota. Early in the contest, the Tommies had all the momentum, racing out to a 13-6 first quarter lead thanks to a 7-0 run. However, St. Thomas went cold and the Coyotes got hot, tying the game at 18-18 after the first 10 minutes of play. From that moment on, the Tommies never found their rhythm and were forced to play without Jo Langbehn for the entirety of the second quarter. Trailing 37-34 at the half, St. Thomas scored just nine points in the third quarter and still nearly put together a furious rally in the fourth. The double-digit deficit just proved to be too much to overcome, as the Tommies eventually fell 75-61.
THE OPPOSITION: Since January, the Bison have established themselves as a top-2 team in the Summit League. North Dakota State has lost just one game since facing St. Thomas on January 25, going 6-1 in that seven game stretch with wins over North Dakota, Kansas City, Omaha, Oral Roberts and Denver. The Bison's lone loss came at the hands of South Dakota State by a final score of 65-58. Since that game, North Dakota State has outscored its opponents 424-352 and scored over 70 points in five consecutive games. Thanks to the run, Elle Evans now ranks second in the conference in scoring, averaging 18.8 points against Summit League opponents, and Heaven Hamling ranks seventh, averaging 16.8 points per game. Interestingly enough, the Bison do not have a single player ranking in the top-10 in rebounds per game.
PLAY4KAY: Thursday will serve as St. Thomas' annual Play4Kay game. Founded by Olympic gold medalist and Naismith Hall of Fame Coach Kay Yow, Play4Kay works to unite people in sport in the fight against cancer and raise funds for the Kay Yow Cancer Fight. To learn more information or donate, visit KayYow.com/play4kay.
THUNDERING HEARD: The last meeting between St. Thomas and North Dakota State did not go well for the Tommies. After a close first quarter, in which St. Thomas trailed 16-15, North Dakota State went out and shot a blistering .533 from the floor, including a .667 mark from three point range, in the second, allowing the Bison to take a 39-29 lead into the locker room at half. Despite outscoring North Dakota State in the fourth quarter, the Tommies could not make up the 10-point halftime deficit and suffered the 85-52 road loss. They also had no answer for Evans and Hamling. The duo scored a combined 51 points for the Bison and were the only two student-athletes to score in double digits for NDSU in the game.
STOP THE SKID: The Tommies are looking to avoid another four game losing skid, having dropped three straight in Summit League play. St. Thomas lost four consecutive games from November 24 to December 2, all in nonconference play. During those four games, the Tommies were limited to 239 total points, averaging just 59.8 per game. In its most recent three game losing streak, St. Thomas has struggled offensively, averaging exactly 65.0 points in three games. However, that is aided by a 73 point performance against Oral Roberts two weeks ago. The Tommies have been limited to 61 points in back-to-back games and only scored 52 in their last meeting against NDSU.
HOW BOUT THEM JACKRABBITS: St. Thomas isn't only facing NDSU this weekend. The Tommies will host South Dakota State in their final home game of the 2023-24 season. St. Thomas actually had the Jackrabbits on the ropes in the first meeting between the two teams and led SDSU 35-27 at the half. Unfortunately, the Tommies would score only 20 points in the final 20 minutes of play, and the Jackrabbits would get hot. SDSU shot .692 from the floor in the second half, cruising to a 75-55 victory over St. Thomas.
FEELING A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY: Things will feel a little bit country in Schoenecker Arena Saturday afternoon. The Tommies will host the first ever Country Day when they host the Jackrabbits in the final home game of the season. The first 250 students will receive a special Roll Toms branded cowboy hat and the team will stick around for postgame autographs following the contest.
COUNTDOWN TO 400: Head coach Ruth Sinn won her 380th game as St. Thomas' head coach against Purdue Fort Wayne in early December, bringing her closer to the 400 career wins mark. 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.
THE PHOEBE EFFECT: The Tommies may be without a key contributor this weekend: junior guard Phoebe Frentzel. Frentzel has been a force to be reckoned with on the defensive side of the court, as she continues to rank second on the team in steals (29) despite missing the last five games. Frentzel has also racked up 40 defensive rebounds and six blocks this season, putting her in the top-5 of defensive efficiency. St. Thomas feels her absence. In the last five games, the Tommies are 2-3 and have surrendered an average of 72.0 points per game.
HELPING HAND: Assists are the name of the game when it comes to the St. Thomas offense. The Tommies are 10-2 this season when recording at least 15 assists in a game and are 4-10 when recording less than 14. In fact, St. Thomas is 2-6 in Summit League play this season when recording fewer than 14 assists in a game and were held to just six assists in its loss to NDSU earlier this season. In their last three losses, the Tommies have tallied a combined 39 assists, including just 11 in their loss to South Dakota on Saturday.
ALONG THE PERIMETER: St. Thomas did not shoot poorly in its loss to the Coyotes on Saturday. The Tommies shot .424 from the floor in the loss, including a .625 clip in the first half. Where St. Thomas struggled was from three-point land. The Tommies were just 4-22 from the perimeter, marking their second straight game with a sub .200 three point field goal percentage. St. Thomas is 0-4 this season when shooting under .200 from three point range, which includes both losses to NDSU and SDSU.
WELCOME HOME: The Tommies have lost just two Summit League contests in Schoenecker Arena this season and four games total since the season started back in November. In addition to its losses to South Dakota and Denver, St. Thomas dropped two games to Power 5 opponents: Iowa State and Wisconsin. In all four losses, the Tommies were held to under 65 points despite putting up impressive offensive numbers. In three of the four losses, St. Thomas shot over .300 from the floor, including a .421 clip against South Dakota. However, the Tommies rebounding margin was -41 in those losses and committed 66 turnovers.
