University of St. Thomas Athletics
1-5,0-0Summit League
UC Irvine
4-2,0-0Big West
Second half surge not enough in Tommies loss to Anteaters
11/23/2025 12:52:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – The University of St. Thomas women's basketball team put together a resilient effort in the championship game of the 2025 ASRC/ConocoPhillips Great Alaska Shootout. The Tommies put together a strong performance in the second and third quarter, but a dominant first by UC Irvine proved too much to overcome as St. Thomas ultimately fell, 63–55, Saturday night at the Alaska Airlines Center. With the loss, the Tommies are now 1-5 this season.
QUICK HITS:
- Alyssa Sand (Albany, Minn. / Albany) and Savannah McGowan (Plymouth, Minn. / Armstrong) were named to the ASRC/ConocoPhillips Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team thanks to their performances over the weekend.
- Despite the final score, St. Thomas outscored UC Irvine 49-39 over the final three quarters after being outscored 24-6 in the first.
- Sand scored a career-high 22 points in the loss while McGowan tallied the first double-double of her career with the Purple.
SCORING SUMMARY:
First Quarter: The Tommies struggled to find their footing early, shooting just 20% while UC Irvine opened the game on a 20-2 run. The Anteaters strong performance allowed them to hold a 24-6 lead after the opening 10 minutes of play.
Second Quarter: St. Thomas flipped the switch in the second as the Tommies put together their best offensive quarter of the night. Sand scored 11 in the frame as St. Thomas shot 81.8% from the floor to cut the halftime deficit to 40-30.
Third Quarter: The Tommies continued to chip away at UC Irvine's lead, pulling within six thanks to strong performances from McGowan and Laura Hauge (West St. Paul, Minn. / St. Croix Lutheran). The duo helped St. Thomas enter the fourth trailing 52-45.
Fourth Quarter: The Tommies pulled within five on multiple occasions in the fourth quarter thanks to threes from Faith Feuerbach (Sycamore, Ill. / Sycamore) and Jada Hood (St. Paul, Minn. / Roseville Area). However, St. Thomas was never able to close the gap, as the Anteaters timely second-chance points held off the Tommies comeback, resulting in the 63-55 loss.
TOP TOMMIES:
- Sand delivered a standout scoring performance, shooting 9-for-11 from the field and perfect from three. She scored 15 of her career-high 22 points in the second and third quarters, fueling the Tommies' surge back into the game.
- McGowan controlled the paint on both ends, securing a double-double thanks to her 12 point, 13 rebound performance Saturday evening.
- Hauge scored a career-high 11 points in Saturday's loss going 3-9 from deep.
UP NEXT:
St. Thomas returns to St. Paul, Minnesota and Lee & Penny Anderson Arena on Wednesday for one quick game before Thanksgiving. The Tommies will host Oakland University at 2:00 p.m. in their new state of the art facility.
