University of St. Thomas Athletics
12-11,4-6Summit League
Omaha
9-14,1-9Summit League
Tommies celebrate NGWSD with win over Mavericks
2/5/2025 10:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ST. PAUL, MINN. – It's fair to say the University of St. Thomas is officially on a roll. The Tommies won their third Summit League game in four tries, dominating en route to a 75-62 win over the University of Nebraska Omaha. Even better? Junior Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) joined the 1000 point club, becoming the third St. Thomas student-athlete to join the club in the last two seasons. The junior was the game's leading scorer, going off for 20 points and surpassing the 1000 point milestone in the second quarter, helping the Tommies improve to 13-10 and 5-5 in Summit League play.
RECAP:
St. Thomas dominated from start to finish, taking a lead 20 seconds into regulation and never looking back. However, it wasn't the Tommies usual cast of characters that led the team to victory, though they did certainly have an impact. Alyssa Sand (Albany, Minn. / Albany) scored the first basket of the game, setting the tone for a well-balanced scoring attack from St. Thomas. Yes, Scalia and Sammy Opichka (Green Bay, Wis. / Notre Dame) scored multiple times in the opening frame, but it was the Tommies bench that came up clutch when it mattered most. Threes by Phoebe Frentzel (Pewaukee, Wis. / Arrowhead) helped St. Thomas maintain a seven-point cushion over the Mavericks, while a jumper from Scalia helped the Tommies secure a 24-16 lead after one.
Scalia provided the highlight of the first half in the second quarter. Entering the contest, the junior needed just 11 points to surpass 1000 and closed the first quarter with seven. After an early three pulled her within one, Scalia needed a free throw to reach the milestone. Scalia surpassed it with a three, bolstering the St. Thomas lead to 38-29 in the process.
By halftime, the Tommies held a 42-31 lead over Omaha, and that was pretty much all she wrote in Schoenecker Arena. Though the Mavericks managed to pull within ten two minutes into the third quarter, they were simply no match for St. Thomas' well-rounded offense. Baskets from Jo Langbehn (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River), Jordyn Lamker (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) and Frentzel supplemented the Tommies lead, pushing it to 52-37 with 6:07 remaining in the quarter. The St. Thomas defense, meanwhile, held Omaha to just 14 third quarter points, as the team pushed its lead to 63-45 after 30 minutes of play.
While the Mavericks statistically won the fourth quarter, they were truly no match for the Tommies. A layup by Mikayla Werner (Hortonville, Wis. / Hortonville) proved to be the nail in the coffin for St. Thomas, as the team claimed victory by a final score of 75-62.
TOP TOMMIES
- Amber Scalia (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) scored 20+ points for the fourth time in five games, scoring 20 exactly on 8-14 shooting, including a 4-7 clip from three-point range. Scalia was also credited with four assists in the victory.
- Phoebe Frentzel (Pewaukee, Wis. / Arrowhead) put together another monster performance for St. Thomas, scoring a season-high 13 points on 4-6 shooting, including a 3-4 clip from beyond the arc. Alyssa Sand (Albany, Minn. / Albany) added 10 points and four rebounds, while Sammy Opichka (Green Bay, Wis. / Notre Dame) led the team with seven boards.
- Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South) was limited to seven points, but was credited with eight of the Tommies 22 assists Wednesday evening. She also led the team in plus/minus, closing the game at +23.
NOTEABLES
Amber Scalia became the third Tommie in the last two seasons to join the 1000 point club and is the second youngest St. Thomas player to do so in the DI era. Scalia scored her 1000th point in her 82nd game with the purple, ranking second behind Jade Hill (Minneapolis, Minn. / South), who reached the mark in 78 games.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas will return to action on Saturday, as the team looks for a key road win at Denver. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CT in Denver, Colorado.
