Members of the women’s basketball team cheer on their teammates from the sidelines. The Tommies’ beat St. Mary’s 77-65 Saturday. (Sunita Dharod/TommieMedia)
Coach Ruth Sinn and assistant coach Brian Silk strategize with the players. The women’s basketball team has now won 14 games in a row.
(Sunita Dharod/TommieMedia)
Guard Katie stone focuses on making a steal. Saturday’s win led the Tommies to their fifth-straight MIAC title.
(Sunita Dharod/TommieMedia)
Guard Morganne Gruber snags a rebound after a shot from St. Mary’s. As of Feb. 24, the Tommies are ranked second in the west region behind George Fox University. (Sunita Dharod/TommieMedia)
Center Kaitlin Langer takes a free-throw shot. Langer totaled 14 points in Saturday’s game.
(Sunita Dharod/TommieMedia)
Guard Paige Gernes looks to make a pass. Gernes had four assists in Saturday’s game.
(Sunita Dharod/TommieMedia)
Langer squares up to make a basket. The junior had nine total rebounds Saturday.
(Sunita Dharod/TommieMedia)
Gernes blocks the ball from St. Mary’s. Gernes scored a total of 10 points for St. Thomas Saturday.
(Sunita Dharod/TommieMedia)
Guard/forward Lauren Fischer takes a shot in the third quarter. Fischer scored 13 points Saturday.
(Sunita Dharod/TommieMedia)
Guard Katie Stone and the Tommies put on a show Saturday in Schoenecker Arena, defeating St. Mary’s 77-65 and claiming a fifth-straight MIAC title.
The Cardinals (21-6 overall, 14-4 conference) came out aggressive from tipoff, playing as physically as possible with center Kaitlin Langer, who was sent to the free throw line three times in the first quarter, converting four of six attempts. Knowing how crucial she is to the Tommie offense, the Cardinals often double-teamed Langer, opening up quality shots for the rest of her teammates.
“She does a good job of going in and out – we get open shots,” coach Ruth Sinn said. “We’re second in the nation in three-point shooting because we get good shots.”
The shots helped lead Stone into an electric second quarter. The guard scored 13 points in the quarter and made three 3-pointers, breaking the MIAC single-season record in 3-point shots with 74 this season.
“Once we establish our inside game, Kaitlin knows to pass it out, knowing that we’re there for her,” Stone said. “She can count on us to make those shots.”
Stone finished the game with a career-high 23 points.
The No. 1-seeded Tommies (24-3 overall, 16-2 conference) dominated the third quarter, not allowing a Cardinal score through the first five minutes of the second half. The Cardinals finished the quarter scoring only eight points.
On the other side, the offense had 25 points, increasing the Tommies’ lead from 14 to 20 and eventually finishing the third quarter with a 31-point lead. That lead would whittle down as the Cardinals never gave up, finishing the game with a mere 12-point deficit.
“We’d like to finish the fourth quarter, but it is what it is,” Sinn said.
Guard Paige Gernes received the women’s basketball MIAC Elite 22 Award during the final award ceremony. This award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point-average participating in the finals.
The Tommies await the announcement of location and seedings for the NCAA DIII Women’s Basketball Championship on Monday. As of Feb. 24, the Tommies are ranked second in the west region behind George Fox University.
Adam Kraft can be reached at adam.kraft@stthomas.edu.