No. 5 St. Thomas rolled past No. 4 Oral Roberts in Friday’s quarterfinal round of the 2026 Women’s Summit League Basketball Championships in Sioux Falls.
St. Thomas came out hot, outscoring Oral Roberts 18-8 in the first frame. ORU went scoreless for nearly seven of the first 10 minutes. The Tommies put out a balanced scoring effort, while ORU was led by Jalei Oglesby’s six points in the first quarter.
The Tommies continued their scoring run into the halftime break, dropping 26 points in the second quarter. Faith Feuerbach sealed the 25-point lead with a bucket just before the buzzer, assisted by Autumn McCall.
The Golden Eagles attempted to cut into the lead after the break, but the Tommies continued to hold steady, winning the matchup 81-54. Mikayla Werner led St. Thomas with 21 points and nine rebounds, while Alyssa Sand added a double-double 17 points and 10 boards. Feuerbach and McCall combined for 23 points, and Jada Hood added 10 points.
Werner talked about staying true to team identity.
“We’re just going to keep doing what we do, focus on who we are…we’re excited.”
Coach Ruth Sinn credited first-year head coach Cophie Anderson (ORU) for her effort this season.
“Coach [Anderson] is going to be a rock star. She’s got those young women playing so hard.”
She continued to talk about what the Tommies have focused on since playing ORU last weekend to close out the regular season, and how being tournament eligible heightens the emotions.
“We were hesitant. We kept talking to them about being aggressive…There is an excitement, but I’ll tell you the biggest thing we keep telling our girls is this is a child’s game. Don’t make it bigger than it is… we want to keep the perspective that this is a game.. It’s joyful. I really enjoy this group.”
St. Thomas will take on No. 1 North Dakota State at 12 p.m. Saturday in the semifinal round.
ORU was led by 18 points from Oglesby and 10 points apiece from Hartsock and Baldwin.
Oglesby reflected on her career, choosing ORU and staying through a coaching change.
“I couldn’t imagine playing for anyone else. She’s one of the most passionate people I’ve ever known…just the kind of person she is. She is a very Godly woman.. I knew coming back that they’re great people, and who I chose to be my teammates.”
Coach Anderson shared her pride for the growth over the season.
“Extremely proud of this group, just a constant fight… it took us a half to kind of loosen up, but with that we were down 25 and not where we want.. extreme growth. It’s been a roller coaster, but from that.. We’ve taken something to learn and grow from each game. This season has been about growth. This sting, and this burn and this ache, we’ll remember it, and we’ll be back.”
ORU finishes the season 15-18 overall, and 8-9 in conference play.