University of St. Thomas Athletics
11-10,3-5Summit League
North Dakota
8-13,3-5Summit League
Tommies topple Fighting Hawks 76-71
1/30/2025 9:09:00 PM | Women's Basketball
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – It wasn't always pretty, but the University of St. Thomas women's basketball is leaving Grand Forks, North Dakota with a "W". Thanks to clutch shooting in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, the Tommies hung on for their second consecutive Summit League win, earning a thrilling 76-71 victory over the University of North Dakota. With the win, St. Thomas improves to 11-10 overall and the Tommies are now 3-5 in Summit League play.
RECAP:
St. Thomas looked a bit sluggish to open the game, as North Dakota jumped out to a 4-0 lead just 90 seconds into the game. The Tommies, though, quickly shook off the rust, using a defensive stop and a three-pointer from Sammy Opichka (Green Bay, Wis. / Notre Dame Academy) to right the ship before things got out of hand. Opichka's three ignited a 7-0 run for St. Thomas, as the Tommies quickly jumped out to a 7-4 lead on layups from Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) and Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater).
It was easy to blink and miss St. Thomas' dominance on both ends of the court. Steals led to threes which led to layups and an 18-8 lead for the Tommies. Forced to call an early timeout, it looked like the Fighting Hawks were down for the count, struggling to score and generate offense against St. Thomas' defense. However, North Dakota ended the quarter on a run of its own, whittling the Tommie lead to 19-16 with 16 seconds left in the first. A Fighting Hawks turnover proved costly, giving St. Thomas the ball and allowing Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) to extend the Tommies lead to 21-16 with a floater.
North Dakota made things interesting in the second, not only chopping the St. Thomas lead to almost nothing, but taking one of its own. A three-point play by Jocelyn Schiller game the Fighting Hawks their first lead since the first quarter at 29-28, and it looked like they might extend it with Scalia out of the game and in foul trouble. The Tommies had other ideas. A three-pointer by Hill put the lead back in St. Thomas' hands, a lead the Tommies would hold to halftime.
With a 43-35 lead, St. Thomas hoped to extend its lead in the third quarter, but North Dakota had other plans. The Fighting Hawks outscored the Tommies 4-2 in the opening minutes of the third, and St. Thomas best players were once again in foul trouble. Scalia and Opichka were credited with their third fouls not three minutes into the third quarter, forcing Scalia to the bench and Opichka in a much more timid role defensively.
The Tommies, though, persisted, weathering the storm and emerging with a 62-49 lead after three. All St. Thomas had to do was close it out in the fourth. However, the Tommies went through another scoring drought, scoring just two points in the opening five minutes of the final quarter. With St. Thomas' scoring efforts on hold, North Dakota cut the lead to 63-59, forcing head coach Ruth Sinn to call a timeout with 4:01 remaining on the clock. The Fighting Hawks weren't done scoring either, cutting the lead to two at 65-63 with under three remaining in regulation.
Like in the third, the Tommies persevered, using clutch baskets from Langbehn and free throws from Opichka to keep North Dakota at bay. With 28.8 left in regulation, Opichka went 2-2 from the line, extending St. Thomas' lead to 74-68. The Fighting Hawks made a three at the other end, handing the Tommies the ball with 17.4 on the clock and a 74-71 advantage. Langbehn followed in Opichka's footsteps, going 2-2 at the charity stripe, regaining a 76-71 advantage for St. Thomas. That score would hold, as North Dakota's last second heave came up short, resulting in the Tommies second consecutive victory.
TOP TOMMIES
- Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) led all scorers Thursday evening, scoring 23 points on 9-18 shooting, including a 5-5 clip from the charity stripe. Langbehn also tallied a career-high two blocks in the victory.
- Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) added 14 rebounds and seven assists, her third consecutive game with 7+ assists. Sammy Opichka (Green Bay, Wis. / Notre Dame) added 12 points in the win.
- Phoebe Frentzel (Pewaukee, Wis. / Arrowhead) was a spark plug off the bench, leading the team in plus/minus at +13. Frentzel also led the team with a career-high eight rebounds and scored seven points.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas will return to action on Saturday, as the team travels to Fargo, North Dakota to take on North Dakota State for the second time this season. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Scheels Center.
