University of St. Thomas Athletics
14-15,6-9Summit League
Omaha
7-22,3-13Summit League
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Third quarter rally not enough in loss to Omaha
2/29/2024 9:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Jo Langbehn leads with 22 points for St. Thomas
OMAHA, NEB. – It was nearly the comeback of the season for the University of St. Thomas women's basketball team. Down 16 after the first half, the Tommies put together a furious third quarter rally, closing the gap to nine with 10 minutes left in regulation. Sadly for St. Thomas, the team could not complete the comeback, falling to the University of Nebraska-Omaha by a final score of 79-62. With the loss, the Tommies are now 14-15 overall and 6-9 in Summit League play.
RECAP
It was smooth sailing for St. Thomas to open the first quarter, as the Tommies raced out to an 8-4 lead, courtesy of Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River). The junior forward used her presence under the basket to score the first eight points of the game for St. Thomas, giving the visitors all the momentum early on. Omaha, however, matched the Tommies energy and used their own strength against them, quickly evening the score at 8-8 before a scoring burst gave the Mavericks a 23-8 advantage. In fact, Omaha closed the first quarter on a 19-3 scoring run, as the Mavericks held a 23-12 advantage over St. Thomas after the opening 10 minutes of play.
Despite the Tommies best efforts, they were unable to close the gap in the second quarter, as they went cold from three-point range. St. Thomas went a combined 1-16 from beyond the arc in the first half, as Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) converted the Tommies lone trey in the first half of play. The Mavericks, meanwhile, continued to score, racing out to a 39-23 halftime lead.
Langbehn continued to be a dominant force in the paint for St. Thomas, as she scored 16 points before the five minute mark of the third. She provided the spark the Tommies offense needed. Fueled by grit, St. Thomas held Omaha scoreless for over two minutes, allowed the Tommies to chip away at the Mavericks lead. Thanks to baskets from Hill and Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) made it a nine point game at 56-47 to start the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, St. Thomas' good fortunate eventually came to a grinding halt. The Tommies, despite their best efforts, could not keep Omaha scoreless forever, and the Mavericks eventually regained a double-digit lead on their first two possessions of the fourth quarter. St. Thomas never gave up, as a layup from Sammy Opichka (Green Bay, Wis. / Notre Dame) halted the bleeding and pulled the Tommies back within twelve at 65-53.
Langbehn pulled St. Thomas within 10, converting two free throws to make it 67-57 with 4:33 remaining in regulation. In the end, the Tommies could not overcome a late run by Omaha. In the closing minutes, the Mavericks outscored St. Thomas 13-5 in the final three minutes to secure the 79-62 victory.
TOP TOMMIES
- Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) put up monster numbers for St. Thomas, scoring a team-leading 22 points on 10-12 shooting from the floor. The junior also led the team with eight rebounds Thursday night.
- Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) scored 15 points and added three rebounds, four assists and two steals to her stat line.
- Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) closed with 12 points thanks to 3-6 shooting from beyond the arc. She also tallied six rebounds and three assists.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas will close the 2023-24 regular season in Colorado, as the Tommies take on the University of Denver on Saturday, March 2. Tip off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CT in Denver, Colorado.
