University of St. Thomas Athletics
10-10,2-5Summit League
Denver
8-13,1-7Summit League
Sinn City: Sinn earns 400th career win vs. Denver
1/25/2025 2:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ST. PAUL, MINN. – It was everything the University of St. Thomas women's basketball team hoped for, and then some. After a disappointing return to Schoenecker Arena on Wednesday, in which the Tommies watched a late lead slip away against South Dakota State University, St. Thomas rebounded in the perfect way possible: with a "W". The Tommies defeated the Denver Pioneers 78-65 Saturday afternoon, improving to 10-10 on the season and 2-5 in Summit League play. However, the win was bigger than anyone could imagine. After weeks of waiting, head coach Ruth Sinn finally collected her 400th career victory with Tommie basketball, becoming the first female coach in department history to reach the milestone.
RECAP:
It was all St. Thomas all the time in Schoenecker Arena. From the minute the ball was tipped, the Tommies controlled the game, racing out to a 7-0 start thanks to seniors Sammy Opichka (Green Bay, Wis. / Notre Dame), Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) and Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South). The senior trio kickstarted a St. Thomas offense that scored 75+ points for the second consecutive Summit League game. It wasn't just the Tommies offense, though, that was on point in the first quarter. St. Thomas' defense absolutely stifling. The Tommies held the Pioneers to just eight points in the first quarter with leading scorer Jordan Jones accounting for four of those points.
St. Thomas' well rounded play resulted in a 19-8 lead after the opening quarter of play. However, the path to Sinn's 400th career win wasn't exactly smooth sailing. After a rough first quarter, Jones led Denver's second quarter attack, scoring 10 of the team's 15 points to cut the Tommies lead to 30-21 with 3:00 left in the half. Timely baskets from Opichka and Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) retained St. Thomas' double-digit cushion, allowing the Tommies to walk into the locker room with a 36-23 halftime lead.
The Pioneers simply would not go away, as they continued to pester St. Thomas throughout the third quarter. An early three by Jones whittled the lead to 10 at 36-26, but the Tommies continued to maintain at least a 10 point lead. With 4:10 remaining in the third, though, Denver once again looked to make a charge, as a Brooke Murrell layup made it 43-33 St. Thomas with momentum seemingly swinging in the Pioneers direction. A corner three from Hill cemented any thoughts of a Denver push, as the Tommies held the Pioneers to just five points in the closing three minutes of the third to secure a 53-38 advantage.
The fourth quarter belonged to St. Thomas, minus a brief Denver spurt late in the game. After extending their lead to 18 points, the Pioneers went on an 8-0 run to threaten the Tommie lead. In the end, it was no harm, no foul, as St. Thomas won in dominating fashion, 78-65.
TOP TOMMIES
- Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) led the team in scoring, tallying 21 points on 7-12 shooting, including a 3-5 clip from three-point range. It marks her second-consecutive 20+ point performance, and Scalia also closed the game with five assists.
- Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) closed the game with 16 points and six rebounds, while Sammy Opichka (Green Bay, Wis. / Notre Dame Academy) scored in double-digits against Denver for the third straight game, closing with 11 points and six rebounds.
- Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) only scored 10 points, but she added nine helpers in the victory, her 16th consecutive multi-assist game this season. Hill and Scalia are the only two Tommies with multiple 7+ assist performances this season and are the first duo to record at least seven in back-to-back games.
NOTEABLES
Thanks to Saturday's victory, head coach Ruth Sinn now owns a career record of 400-152, becoming the first Tommie women's basketball coach to reach the 400 win milestone. She joins former St. Thomas coaches Steve Fritz, Dennis Denning and John Tschida and current volleyball coach Thanh Pham as the only coaches in department history to win 400 career games with their respective programs. Sinn is additionally the first female coach to reach the 400 win threshold and the third coach of a women's program.
UP NEXT
The Tommies will hit the road for the next Summit League contest, traveling to Grand Forks, North Dakota to take on the University of North Dakota. Tip off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 30 at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
