University of St. Thomas Athletics
0-1,0-0Summit League
Northern Iowa
1-0,0-0MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas (MN) | 15 | 11 | 17 | 16 | 59 |
| UNI | 14 | 14 | 22 | 17 | 67 |
11/2/2026 8:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CEDAR FALLS, IOWA — The University of St. Thomas women's basketball team opened the 2026-27 season at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Though the final score resulted in a loss, the Tommies showed signs of a promising future under head coach Mandy Pearson. St. Thomas lost the game 67-59 Monday but matched UNI with 31 rebounds and 28 points in the paint. With the loss, the Tommies open the season 0-1.
QUICK HITS:
- Alyssa Sand (Albany, Minn. / Albany) opened her junior season with a double-digit performance, scoring 129 points on 8-16 shooting with four rebounds. She also added two blocks to her stat line.
- Savannah McGowan (Plymouth, Minn. / Armstrong) led the team with eight rebounds, five of which were offensive.
- St. Thomas generated more shot volume than Northern Iowa, going 24-59 from the field and 8-24 from 3-point range. The Panthers, by comparison, went 21-52 and 7-21.
- The Tommies struggled from the free throw line, going 3-6 while UNI finished 18-19.
SCORING SUMMARY:
First Quarter: Mikayla Werner (Hortonville, Wis. / Hortonville) opened the scoring with a layup, and Autumn McCall (Blaine, Minn. / Centennial) hit a 3-pointer at 8:09 to give St. Thomas a 5-3 lead. Northern Iowa mounted a comeback through free throws, eventually taking a 10-6 lead. St. Thomas answered by scoring eight straight points courtesy of Sand, Laura Hauge (Hugo, Minn. / St. Croix Lutheran) and Werner to regain a 15-10 lead. The Panthers closed the first on a 4-0 scoring run, but the Tommies closed the quarter with a 15-14.\
Second Quarter: UNI built a 20-15 lead early in the second quarter. After a Panther fastbreak layup made it 22-15 at 7:50, UNI did not score for over five minutes, allowing St. Thomas to cut the deficit to 22-20. Sand and McGowan scored on assists from Maya Kovacic (Brookfield, Wis. / East), and Hauge provided last second heroics, as he buzzer-beating three cut the Panther lead to 28-26 at the half.
Third Quarter: Northern Iowa scored the first basket of the third quarter, but the Tommies wasted no time tying the game at 31-32 at 7:36. Though the Panthers managed to maintain the lead, a Jayci Rath (Stewartville, Minn. / Stewartville) 3-pointer off a McGowan offensive rebound brought St. Thomas back within one at 36-35 with six minutes to go. UNI followed by scoring 10 unanswered points, stretching to the lead to 46-35. Samantha Voll (Monticello, Minn. / Monticello) scored six points over the final three minutes, but the Panthers still carried a 50-43 lead into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter: Rath scored inside off an assist from Werner ten seconds into the quarter, setting off a 9-4 scoring run for the Tommies. An Abbey Vallance (Sydney, Australia / Taran Anglican School) 3-pointer cut UNI's lead to 54-52 midway through the quarter. However, St. Thomas never could quite catch the Panthers. Sand connected from 3-point range with 1:41 left to bring the Tommies within six at 62-56, but Northern Iowa made five free throws in the final 40 seconds to secure the 67-59 win.
TOMMIE TIDBITS
- St. Thomas is now 1-5 in its DI era in season openers, having lost back-to-back games in the state of Iowa. The Tommies fell to Iowa State in last season's opener in Ames.
- Three first years made their collegiate debuts on Monday: Voll, Rath, and Kovacic. Voll earned a starting roll, scoring seven points, all in the second half, while Rath added five on 2-3 shooting. Kovacic tallied three rebounds and an assist off the bench.
UP NEXT:
Up next, St. Thomas hosts Bethel on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota.
