University of St. Thomas Athletics
15-16,7-9Summit League
South Dakota
21-11,9-7Summit League
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Tommies season ends in Summit League Quarterfinal
3/10/2024 5:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Scalia scores 22 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter, in the loss
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The University of St. Thomas women's basketball 2023-2024 season came to an end on Sunday afternoon, as the No. 5-seed Tommies lost in the Summit League quarterfinals to the fourth ranked University of South Dakota Coyotes. The Coyotes used a strong opening quarter to pull away from St. Thomas and left the Danny Sanford PREMIERE Center with a 70-57 victory over the Tommies.
Sophomore Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) recorded a team-high 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, in only 23 minutes of play. Graduate student Jordyn Glynn (Grand Meadow, Minn. / Grand Meadow) added 11 points to St. Thomas' scoring efforts, shooting 3-of-7 from three-point land in addition to a team-high six rebounds, two assists, a block, and three steals in an all-around performance.
With the loss, the Tommies finished the season 15-16 overall and 7-9 in conference play. The 2023-2024 season marks the first 15+ win season for the Purple in the Division I era and ties the most conference wins in a season (7) since joining the Summit League.
RECAP
South Dakota was hot from tipoff, and St. Thomas struggled to generate anything offensively, as the physicality of the Coyotes proved too much early in the game. In fact, South Dakota opened with a 11-0 run in the first six minutes of the quarter before Glynn scored St. Thomas' first basket of the game at 4:11. A driving layup by Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) at the 1:12 mark closed the quarter for the Toms, with South Dakota leading 13-5 after the first.
Langbehn and Faith Feuerbach (Sycamore, Ill. / Sycamore) went on a 5-0 run to get the scoring going for the Purple in the second quarter before the Coyotes answered back with their own 6-0 run, leading 24-10 with 1:46 remaining in the half. A step back 3-pointer by Glynn followed by a layup by freshman Zoey Washington (Mahtomedi, Minn. / St. Croix Lutheran) ended the half for the Tommies, suffering a 24-15 deficit at the halftime break.
Coming out of halftime, South Dakota and the Tommies traded baskets offensively until the Coyotes went on a 10-0 to get their largest lead of the day, 20 points, at 38-18. Back-to-back three-pointers from Glynn and Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) followed by a layup from Jordyn Lamker (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) cut the Tommie deficit down to 14 points. A pair of free throws from Glynn ended the quarter, with the Toms trailing 48-32 with 10 minutes of action remaining.
The Scalia Show made its debut in the fourth quarter. After missing much of the first due to injury, the sophomore made her presence known in the fourth, scoring 20 points on 8-10 shooting, including a 4-4 clip from beyond the arc. Scalia's heroics brought St. Thomas within the brink of the biggest comeback of the season. With just under four minutes left, a stepback three from Scalia pulled the Tommies within eight at 54-46. Sadly, despite valiant efforts, St. Thomas could not make up the deficit, falling in the Summit League Quarterfinal by a final score of 70-57.
TOP TOMMIES
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Sophomore Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) recorded a team-high 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc in 23 minutes of play. She
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Graduate student Jordyn Glynn (Grand Meadow, Minn. / Grand Meadow) closed her St. Thomas career with an 11 point performance, shooting 3-of-7 from 3-point land in addition to a team-high six rebounds, two assists, a block, and three steals in an all-around performance.
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Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) added nine points in the loss, along with two rebounds and two assists.
NOTEABLES
Amber Scalia continued to make history Sunday afternoon, becoming the first Tommie in the Division I era to score 20 points in a single quarter. The sophomore scored 20 points in the fourth quarter against South Dakota, the most points scored by an individual player in one quarter this season. Scalia additionally scored 20 of St. Thomas' 25 fourth quarter points, accounting for 80% of the team's total offensive in the final 10 minutes of play.
