University of St. Thomas Athletics
Wednesday, February 5
St. Paul, Minn.
7:00 p.m. CT
vs
Omaha
Photo by: Kylie Macziewski
Tommies host Omaha on NGWSD
2/3/2025 1:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ST. PAUL, MINN. – It's officially crunch time for the University of St. Thomas women's basketball team. With the page officially turned to February, the Tommies have just seven Summit League games remaining on the schedule, meaning every contest counts as they look to make a move up the conference standings. That push begins this upcoming week, as the women take on Omaha and Denver for the second time in 2024-25.
Wednesday's game will be special for St. Thomas and fans, and it will make the first time the Tommies will play at home on National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD). Started in 1987, NGWSD looks to honor and recognize female success in sports while acknowledging the importance of female participation in athletics. St. Thomas will do that in a multitude of ways on Wednesday. In addition to hosting their annual breakfast, the Tommies will host a NGWSD panel; Confidence, Strength and Power: how college athletics shaped me into the woman I am today; prior to Wednesday's game. The panel is free and open to the public and will start at 5:30 p.m. in the Tommie Room.
The first 250 fans will also receive a free St. Thomas branded scrunchie, and the Tommies will recognize all female teams throughout the contest. Additionally, head coach Ruth Sinn will be honored pregame for winning her 400th career game against Denver in late January. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Saturday, St. Thomas will travel to Denver for its second contest of the week. Saturday's game against the Pios will actually be part of a doubleheader where the women play at 12:00 p.m. and the men at 3:00 p.m. The Tommies played in a doubleheader on November 4, which was both teams respective season openers. The women took down Milwaukee 84-81 in OT, while the men dominated en route to a 96-71 victory over North Central.
LAST TIME OUT: St. Thomas once again had one of the top teams in the Summit League on the ropes last Saturday in Fargo. The Tommies led the second place North Dakota State Bison after the first and second quarters, and the two teams were deadlocked at 54-54 entering the fourth and final quarter. Unfortunately, the Bison opened the fourth with a 9-0 run, and St. Thomas never fully recovered, despite two late rallies. Scoring barrages from Sammy Opichka, Jordyn Lamker and Amber Scalia whittled the NDSU lead to 72-68 with a little over a minute remaining in regulation, but the Bison were too good at the free throw line, downing the Tommies by a final score of 81-74. Scalia led all scorers with a season-high 26 points in the loss, while Opichka and Jade Hill added 15 and 13 respectively.
THE OPPOSITION: Summit League play has not treated the Omaha Mavericks well. Since opening the conference slate with a 71-66 win over North Dakota, Omaha has lost its last eight games, the longest active losing streak in the Summit League. The games haven't necessarily been close, either. With the exclusion of a 66-65 loss to Kansas City on January 25, the Mavericks have lost all Summit League contests by 10+ points and have been outscored 637-482 during their eight game losing streak. They additionally have yet to score 70+ points against a Summit League opponent since their conference opener. However, Omaha has been without one of its top players, Cora Olson, for the last four games after she suffered an injury against St. Thomas.
NEEDED A LITTLE PUSH: The Tommies snapped their, what was then a four-game conference losing streak at Omaha earlier this season, dealing the Mavericks a 67-53 set back. It would kick off a very impressive run for the St. Thomas offense. Since that victory over the Mavericks on January 18, the Tommies offense has averaged 74.2 points per game with three wins against Summit League foes. In fact, Omaha was the last team to contain St. Thomas' offense, limiting it to just 67 points.
STEALING VICTORIES: Few Tommies have had as big an impact off the bench as Phoebe Frentzel. The senior once again recorded back-to-back multi-steal performances in North Dakota last weekend. Frentzel was credited with two steals in the win over the Fighting Hawks and the loss to the Bison, the 16th and 17th multi-steal performances of her career and sixth consecutive game with at least one steal. Sixteen of those 17 performances have occurred in the past two seasons, and Saturday was Frentzel's third straight 2+ steal performance against a Summit League opponent. The Tommies are 10-7 all-time when Frentzel records at least two steals in a game, and 2-1 in her 4+ steal games.
MILESTONE WATCH: With Ruth Sinn earning her 400th win last month, Amber Scalia now takes center stage in the milestone watch category. Thanks to her 26 point performance against NDSU last weekend, Scalia is now a game or two away from scoring her 1000th career point with the Tommies. With 989 points to her name, Scalia could become the third St. Thomas women's basketball player to eclipse the mark in the past two seasons, joining Jade Hill and Jo Langbehn in the DI era 1000 point club. She could also become the second Tommie to reach the milestone in less than 85 games. Hill scored her 1000th point in her 78th game with St. Thomas, and Scalia could do it in her 82nd game with the Purple.
LET'S GO BACK TO JANUARY...: The Tommies are fully in the second half of conference play, meaning they will face their Summit League opponents for the second time in 2024-25. St. Thomas found quite a bit of success in January against both Omaha and Denver and are looking to sweep the teams for the first time in the DI era this weekend. The outscored the Mavericks and Pioneers by a combined score of 145-118 and did not allow either opponent to score more than 65 points in the victory. Additionally, in both games, four of five St. Thomas starters scored 10+ points for the Tommies, including the trio of Hill, Langbehn and Scalia.
LOW SCORING AFFAIR?: St. Thomas has not, traditionally, scored a lot of points against Omaha. Then again, the Mavericks haven't exactly scored a ton of points against the Tommies either. In seven meetings, Omaha has outscored St. Thomas 470-464, averaging 67.1 points per game to the Tommies 66.3. St. Thomas has only ever scored 70+ points against the Mavericks twice, first in an 80-77 OT loss in 2022-23 and then at home last season. In a dizzying display of offense, the Tommies upended Omaha 88-83 in Schoenecker Arena behind a 30+ point performance from Scalia.
ON THE GLASS: Rebounding has been key to the Tommies success in 2024-25, especially in conference play. Excluding the forfeit win against Kansas City, St. Thomas has outrebounded its opponent in all three Summit League victories this season and own an overall rebounding margin of +24 in its 11 non forfeit, DI wins this season. Losses paint a very different picture. The Tommies are -48 in rebounding margin in losses this season, including a -36 margin in conference losses in 2024-25. In Saturday's loss to NDSU, St. Thomas as a team was outrebounded 31-26, and the Tommies were also beat on the glass 44-28 by SDSU in their last loss in Schoenecker Arena. St. Thomas did outrebound Omaha and Denver by a combined +18 margin.
QUEENS OF THE APPLES: As a team, the Tommies have only recorded 20+ assists in three games this season: vs. Crown (DIII), vs. Macalester (DIII), and vs. Denver. That's correct. St. Thomas was credited with 21 assists in its 78-65 win over the Pioneers earlier this season, with Jade Hill accounting for nearly 43% of those assists. Hill was credited with nine helpers in the victory over Denver, while Scalia and Sammy Opichka added five and four respectively. It was Hill's 17th consecutive game with multiple assists, a streak she extended to 19 consecutive games this weekend with seven and six assist performances against North Dakota and NDSU.
MONKEY OFF THEIR BACKS?: Good news! St. Thomas has scored 10+ points in the second quarter in eight consecutive games. Better news: The Tommies outscored North Dakota in the second on Thursday, marking the second straight game they've outscored an opponent in the quarter! Prior to Thursday St. Thomas had yet to outscore a Summit League opponent in the second quarter in back-to-back games, and it was a struggle for the Tommies to even score 10 points in the quarter earlier this season. Entering Wednesday game against Omaha, the Tommies have outscored a Division I opponent just three times in the second quarter and never in back-to-back games. However, St. Thomas saw its streak come to an end in Fargo on Saturday, as the Tommies were outscored by the Bison 16-13 in the second frame.
NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY: For the first time in the Division I era, St. Thomas will play a basketball game on National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Created in 1987, NGWSD is an annual day that looks to recognize and honor the achievements of female athletes and the value of women/girls participation in sports and athletics. As a department, St. Thomas will host a slew of programming on NGWSD, including its annual breakfast and a pre-game panel featuring current and former Tommie student-athletes and administrators. Additionally, head coach Ruth Sinn will be recognized prior to Wednesday's game for earning her 400th career win vs Denver earlier this season.
Wednesday's game will be special for St. Thomas and fans, and it will make the first time the Tommies will play at home on National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD). Started in 1987, NGWSD looks to honor and recognize female success in sports while acknowledging the importance of female participation in athletics. St. Thomas will do that in a multitude of ways on Wednesday. In addition to hosting their annual breakfast, the Tommies will host a NGWSD panel; Confidence, Strength and Power: how college athletics shaped me into the woman I am today; prior to Wednesday's game. The panel is free and open to the public and will start at 5:30 p.m. in the Tommie Room.
The first 250 fans will also receive a free St. Thomas branded scrunchie, and the Tommies will recognize all female teams throughout the contest. Additionally, head coach Ruth Sinn will be honored pregame for winning her 400th career game against Denver in late January. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Saturday, St. Thomas will travel to Denver for its second contest of the week. Saturday's game against the Pios will actually be part of a doubleheader where the women play at 12:00 p.m. and the men at 3:00 p.m. The Tommies played in a doubleheader on November 4, which was both teams respective season openers. The women took down Milwaukee 84-81 in OT, while the men dominated en route to a 96-71 victory over North Central.
LAST TIME OUT: St. Thomas once again had one of the top teams in the Summit League on the ropes last Saturday in Fargo. The Tommies led the second place North Dakota State Bison after the first and second quarters, and the two teams were deadlocked at 54-54 entering the fourth and final quarter. Unfortunately, the Bison opened the fourth with a 9-0 run, and St. Thomas never fully recovered, despite two late rallies. Scoring barrages from Sammy Opichka, Jordyn Lamker and Amber Scalia whittled the NDSU lead to 72-68 with a little over a minute remaining in regulation, but the Bison were too good at the free throw line, downing the Tommies by a final score of 81-74. Scalia led all scorers with a season-high 26 points in the loss, while Opichka and Jade Hill added 15 and 13 respectively.
THE OPPOSITION: Summit League play has not treated the Omaha Mavericks well. Since opening the conference slate with a 71-66 win over North Dakota, Omaha has lost its last eight games, the longest active losing streak in the Summit League. The games haven't necessarily been close, either. With the exclusion of a 66-65 loss to Kansas City on January 25, the Mavericks have lost all Summit League contests by 10+ points and have been outscored 637-482 during their eight game losing streak. They additionally have yet to score 70+ points against a Summit League opponent since their conference opener. However, Omaha has been without one of its top players, Cora Olson, for the last four games after she suffered an injury against St. Thomas.
NEEDED A LITTLE PUSH: The Tommies snapped their, what was then a four-game conference losing streak at Omaha earlier this season, dealing the Mavericks a 67-53 set back. It would kick off a very impressive run for the St. Thomas offense. Since that victory over the Mavericks on January 18, the Tommies offense has averaged 74.2 points per game with three wins against Summit League foes. In fact, Omaha was the last team to contain St. Thomas' offense, limiting it to just 67 points.
STEALING VICTORIES: Few Tommies have had as big an impact off the bench as Phoebe Frentzel. The senior once again recorded back-to-back multi-steal performances in North Dakota last weekend. Frentzel was credited with two steals in the win over the Fighting Hawks and the loss to the Bison, the 16th and 17th multi-steal performances of her career and sixth consecutive game with at least one steal. Sixteen of those 17 performances have occurred in the past two seasons, and Saturday was Frentzel's third straight 2+ steal performance against a Summit League opponent. The Tommies are 10-7 all-time when Frentzel records at least two steals in a game, and 2-1 in her 4+ steal games.
MILESTONE WATCH: With Ruth Sinn earning her 400th win last month, Amber Scalia now takes center stage in the milestone watch category. Thanks to her 26 point performance against NDSU last weekend, Scalia is now a game or two away from scoring her 1000th career point with the Tommies. With 989 points to her name, Scalia could become the third St. Thomas women's basketball player to eclipse the mark in the past two seasons, joining Jade Hill and Jo Langbehn in the DI era 1000 point club. She could also become the second Tommie to reach the milestone in less than 85 games. Hill scored her 1000th point in her 78th game with St. Thomas, and Scalia could do it in her 82nd game with the Purple.
LET'S GO BACK TO JANUARY...: The Tommies are fully in the second half of conference play, meaning they will face their Summit League opponents for the second time in 2024-25. St. Thomas found quite a bit of success in January against both Omaha and Denver and are looking to sweep the teams for the first time in the DI era this weekend. The outscored the Mavericks and Pioneers by a combined score of 145-118 and did not allow either opponent to score more than 65 points in the victory. Additionally, in both games, four of five St. Thomas starters scored 10+ points for the Tommies, including the trio of Hill, Langbehn and Scalia.
LOW SCORING AFFAIR?: St. Thomas has not, traditionally, scored a lot of points against Omaha. Then again, the Mavericks haven't exactly scored a ton of points against the Tommies either. In seven meetings, Omaha has outscored St. Thomas 470-464, averaging 67.1 points per game to the Tommies 66.3. St. Thomas has only ever scored 70+ points against the Mavericks twice, first in an 80-77 OT loss in 2022-23 and then at home last season. In a dizzying display of offense, the Tommies upended Omaha 88-83 in Schoenecker Arena behind a 30+ point performance from Scalia.
ON THE GLASS: Rebounding has been key to the Tommies success in 2024-25, especially in conference play. Excluding the forfeit win against Kansas City, St. Thomas has outrebounded its opponent in all three Summit League victories this season and own an overall rebounding margin of +24 in its 11 non forfeit, DI wins this season. Losses paint a very different picture. The Tommies are -48 in rebounding margin in losses this season, including a -36 margin in conference losses in 2024-25. In Saturday's loss to NDSU, St. Thomas as a team was outrebounded 31-26, and the Tommies were also beat on the glass 44-28 by SDSU in their last loss in Schoenecker Arena. St. Thomas did outrebound Omaha and Denver by a combined +18 margin.
QUEENS OF THE APPLES: As a team, the Tommies have only recorded 20+ assists in three games this season: vs. Crown (DIII), vs. Macalester (DIII), and vs. Denver. That's correct. St. Thomas was credited with 21 assists in its 78-65 win over the Pioneers earlier this season, with Jade Hill accounting for nearly 43% of those assists. Hill was credited with nine helpers in the victory over Denver, while Scalia and Sammy Opichka added five and four respectively. It was Hill's 17th consecutive game with multiple assists, a streak she extended to 19 consecutive games this weekend with seven and six assist performances against North Dakota and NDSU.
MONKEY OFF THEIR BACKS?: Good news! St. Thomas has scored 10+ points in the second quarter in eight consecutive games. Better news: The Tommies outscored North Dakota in the second on Thursday, marking the second straight game they've outscored an opponent in the quarter! Prior to Thursday St. Thomas had yet to outscore a Summit League opponent in the second quarter in back-to-back games, and it was a struggle for the Tommies to even score 10 points in the quarter earlier this season. Entering Wednesday game against Omaha, the Tommies have outscored a Division I opponent just three times in the second quarter and never in back-to-back games. However, St. Thomas saw its streak come to an end in Fargo on Saturday, as the Tommies were outscored by the Bison 16-13 in the second frame.
NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY: For the first time in the Division I era, St. Thomas will play a basketball game on National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Created in 1987, NGWSD is an annual day that looks to recognize and honor the achievements of female athletes and the value of women/girls participation in sports and athletics. As a department, St. Thomas will host a slew of programming on NGWSD, including its annual breakfast and a pre-game panel featuring current and former Tommie student-athletes and administrators. Additionally, head coach Ruth Sinn will be recognized prior to Wednesday's game for earning her 400th career win vs Denver earlier this season.
Players Mentioned
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