University of St. Thomas Athletics
8-6,0-1Summit League
Kansas City
5-11,1-0Summit League
Tommies go cold in Summit League opener
1/2/2025 3:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ST. PAUL, MINN. – The Summit League opener was not kind to the University of St. Thomas women's basketball team. The Tommies opened the 2024-25 conference campaign by hosting the Kansas City Roos, projected to finish last in the Summit League standings. Kansas City played like anything but a last place team. The Roos came into Scheoencker Arena and delt St. Thomas a 76-69 loss, as the Tommies were unable to pull off a comeback bid in the second half. With the loss, St. Thomas is now 8-6 overall and 0-1 in Summit League play.
RECAP:
St. Thomas didn't play poorly in Thursday's conference opener. In fact, the Tommies shot well over .400 from the floor against Kansas City and even put together one of their best three-point shooting performances of the season. St. Thomas, though, did dig itself into a hole, as the Roos jumped out to an early 6-2 lead. Though a three by Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) seemingly pulled the team back into the game, the Tommies pretty much found themselves playing catch up for the ensuing 35 minutes of play. A one point lead turned into a three point lead for Kansas City, then the Roos stretched it to 6-2 run to close the first quarter, holding a 26-19 advantage entering the second.
Unfortunately, St. Thomas was unable to make up the deficit in the second, as the team shot just 1-11 from the floor and scored only five points total. However, the Tommies defense held Kansas City to equally low shooting numbers, though the Roos still outscored St. Thomas 11-5 in the quarter. That allowed Kansas City to hold a 37-24 halftime lead. However, the Tommies came surging back to open the second half. Fueled by baskets from Sammy Opichka (Green Bay, Wis. / Notre Dame Academy) and Jordyn Lamker (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove), St. Thomas opened the quarter on a 7-0 run, pulling within six at 37-31. That was the closest St. Thomas would come to catching Kansas City. Every time the Tommies pulled within striking distance, the Roos made several timely shots and extended their lead to 54-43 at the end of the third quarter.
St. Thomas outscored Kansas City in the final 10 minutes of play, but it was too late for the Tommies. Despite late clutch three-pointers from Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater), St. Thomas never made up the nine point deficit, falling in its conference opener by a final score of 76-69.
TOP TOMMIES
- Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) scored 20+ points in back-to-back games, tallying a team-leading 23 in Thursday's loss. She also recorded four rebounds and four assists.
- Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) and Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) also scored in double-figures for the Tommies on Thursday. Hill scored 15 with six assists, one block and a steal, while Langbehn closed her night with 10 points and a team-leading six rebounds.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas will return to Schoenecker Arena on Saturday, January 4. The Tommies will take on North Dakota State University in their second Summit League contest of 2024-25. Tip off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in St. Paul, Minnesota.
