Forward Lauren Fischer defends guard Breanna Gates as she races past half court looking to begin the Blazers play. Lauren Fischer recorded eight points, one block, four rebounds and four assists against the College of St. Benedict. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Centers Hannah Spaulding and Niki Fokken battle for the tip off at the start of the game. The Tommies defeated the Blazers 67-64 Saturday afternoon at Schoenecker Arena. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Guard Maddie Wolkow dribbles around the perimeter looking to pass to an open Tommie. Wolkow recorded six points and four rebounds Saturday afternoon. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia).
Center Hannah Spaulding shoots a right-handed layup over blazer defender Niki Fokken. Spaulding led the team with 20 point, nine rebounds and five blocks despite leaving the game nine minutes before the end of regulation with a concussion. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Forward Kaia Porter drives past the Blazer defenders to record a basket for the Tommies. Off the bench, Porter recorded four points, three rebounds and three assists. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Blazer center Kate Banovetz dribbles in the paint as Tommie center Hannah Spaulding defends the Tommie basket. Banovetz finished the game with five rebounds the two points. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Forward Hannah Spaulding dropped 20 points Saturday at Schoenecker Arena as the St. Thomas women’s basketball team narrowly escaped with a 67-64 win over rival St. Ben’s to close out the regular season.
Despite leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a concussion, Spaulding led the Tommies (23-2 overall, 18-0 MIAC) in scoring, blocks and rebounds. The win extended St. Thomas’ conference win streak to 52 games.
“I’m really proud of this group,” coach Ruth Sinn said. “If you look at these seniors … we have, in their four years, eight losses. It’s just incredible.”
That group took a commanding 33-10 first quarter lead, with Spaulding contributing 13. Despite the strong start, the Blazers (22-3 overall, 16-2 MIAC) outscored the Tommies 23-11 in the second and entered half down 44-33. Blazer guard Megan Thompson and forward Chelsey Guetter combined for 14 points, nine of which came from treys, in the second.
During the second half, the Tommie starters took a beating. Guards Lucia Renikoff and Maddie Wolkow both were knocked to the floor, and Spaulding exited the game with a concussion in the fourth quarter.
Wolkow didn’t miss any action, but Renikoff came off of the court for a few minutes in the fourth.
While Renikoff and Spaulding were out of the game, St. Ben’s took advantage and went on a 11-0 run to bring the score to 62-55. During that run, the Tommies went nearly six minutes without a bucket.
With just over two minutes left in the game and a 64-61 Tommie lead, Renikoff checked back in.
“I think we just needed a little spark,” Renikoff said. “I think we were kind of all retreating and when that happens we just need something to happen.”
Renikoff herself proved to be the spark, hitting a three and giving the Tommies what proved to be an insurmountable 67-62 lead with a minute and a half remaining in the game. The Blazers would add two more points and had the ball with 15 seconds remaining, but the Tommies were able to force a turnover and run out the clock.
“It couldn’t have been a better matchup, having the one seed and the two seed play each other for the last game of the season,” Renikoff said. “We’re thankful that we played them.”
With the win, the Tommies keep their No. 1 seed and get a first round bye in the MIAC tournament. They will play the lowest remaining seed Thursday in the semifinals at Schoenecker Arena.
“We’ve got to feel good about that,” Sinn said. “We’ve got to make sure that we attack things … It’s all about learning and growing and getting better.”
Noah Brown can be reached brow7736@stthomas.edu.
Gamiel Hall and Brady Halbmaier also contributed to this article.