St. Thomas made history today, winning its first Summit League Tournament and Division I postseason game. The Tommies defeated the Western Illinois Leathernecks 61-50 in the opening round of the conference tournament in Sioux Falls.
While the shots would not fall, defense told the story for both teams today. Autam Mendez notched 40% of the blocks for St. Thomas, while Jo Langbehn pulled down 10 rebounds. Maggie Negaard led the offensive effort with 18 points. Faith Feuerbach hit a personal best four three-pointers to tally 12 points for the Tommies.
Ruth Sinn stated that she was incredibly proud of her team, and knows that defense will be the Tommie trademark going forward. On Mendez, she commented about her toughness through the transitional period and how she has been able to stay grounded with new teammates.
The Tommies will look to use their defense to limit the hottest team in the conference Saturday against South Dakota State in the quarterfinals.
Western Illinois was led by Mallory McDermott and Elizabeth Lutz, who combined for 21 points. McDermott also grabbed a career-high seven rebounds. Alissa Dins tallied seven rebounds.
Western Illinois finished the season 5-13 in the conference, and 10-20 overall.