University of St. Thomas Athletics
9-10,1-5Summit League
South Dakota State
16-3,6-0Summit League
(RV) SDSU ekes past Tommies in Wednesday showdown
1/22/2025 10:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ST. PAUL, MINN. – It was the makings of a movie in Schoenecker Arena Wednesday evening. The University of St. Thomas women's basketball team had (RV) South Dakota State University by ropes, leading the Jackrabbits for over 30 minutes of play in St. Paul, Minnesota. In the end, literally, the final 10 minutes belonged to South Dakota State. Despite tenacious play from the Tommies, the Jackrabbits eeked out a win in Schoenecker Arena, coming back to beat St. Thomas by a final score of 83-76. With the loss, the Tommies overall record now stands at 9-10 and St. Thomas is 1-5 in Summit League play.
RECAP:
Every good story starts with the unexpected, the fact you simply can't believe. Would you believe us if we said the first quarter belonged to the Tommies? It's true. In fact, the first half belonged to St. Thomas. The Tommies led for 17:25 of the first half, taking a lead in the first and never really relinquishing, no matter how many problems the Jackrabbits presented. What were the keys to St. Thomas' success? Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) went 5-5 from the floor in the first quarter, as she and Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) led the Tommies to a 26-21 lead with one minute remaining in the first quarter. Jordyn Lamker (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) added an extra dose of drama, making a deep three at the buzzer to secure a 29-21 lead for the Tommies after the first quarter of play.
South Dakota State settled in the second quarter, outscoring St. Thomas 19-16 to whittle the lead down to five points. However, the Tommies hung with the Jackrabbits shot for shot. Fueled by five threes and strong performances from Sammy Opichka (Green Bay, Wis. / Notre Dame Academy) and Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) helped St. Thomas walk into the locker room at the half with a 45-40 halftime lead.
The Tommie maintained their lead in the second, making shots whenever needed and required from multiple student-athletes. Scalia reached the 20 point mark for the first time since the game at South Dakota, leading St. Thomas' offense charge, while late baskets from Alyssa Sand (Albany, Minn. / Albany) and Langbehn pushed the Tommies lead to 62-56 entering the fourth and final quarter of play. An 11-0 run by the Jackrabbits, though, spelled doom for St. Thomas. Up by six, the Tommies watched their lead slip away, as SDSU took a 69-62 lead with 4:21 remaining in regulation.
St. Thomas hung in there, using a basket from Langbehn to cut the lead to 71-64 and stop the 13-0 run for the Jackrabbits. However, SDSU proved why it's the top mid-major team in women's basketball. Using clutch and timely shooting, the Jackrabbits continued to extend their lead, eventually winning by a final score of 83-76.
TOP TOMMIES
- Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) led the Tommies with 23 points Wednesday evening, bringing her career total to 834. Scalia also led the team with eight assists, joining Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) as the only two players with 7+ assist performances in 2024-25.
- Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) closed the game with 17 points after opening with a 6-6 performance from the field. She also tallied four assists and one rebound.
- Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) closed the game with 17 points on 7-12 and six rebounds, while Alyssa Sand (Albany, Minn. / Albany) led the team with seven rebounds.
NOTEABLES
Thanks to last week's victory over Omaha, head coach Ruth Sinn pulled within one of her 400th career win. The 20 year veteran coach now owns a career record of 399-152 and could earn No. 400 at home next week. Sinn will be the fifth coach in athletic department history to earn 400 career wins with the Tommies, joining Steve Fritz, Dennis Denning, John Tschida and Thanh Pham. She will also be the first female head coach to earn 400 career wins in department history.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas will look for Sinn's 400th career win on Saturday, as the Tommies host Denver at 12:00 p.m. in Schoenecker Arena. The game is part of St. Thomas' Family 4 Pack deal and is also Alumni day. Interested parties can buy tickets at www.tommiesports.com/tickets.
