Senior center Hannah Spaulding blocks Amherst guard Madeline Eck. Spaulding led the Tommies in blocks and rebounds Friday, March 8. (Jacob Schneider/TommieMedia)
Senior center Hannah Spaulding’s 28 points led No. 3 St. Thomas to a 61-58 overtime victory over No. 6 Amherst in the NCAA Sweet 16 women’s basketball tournament Friday at Schoenecker Arena.
The Tommies advance to play No. 13 Wartburg, 70-51 winners over Wisconsin-Oshkosh, in Elite Eight Saturday at Schoenecker Arena. The winner will advance to the Final Four in Salem, Virginia.
Junior guard Madeline Eck led Amherst with 26 points.
The two teams were tied 51-51 at the end of regulation. Sophomore guard Kaia Porter scored two 3-pointers within the first two minutes of the overtime period.
This was the fifth consecutive year that the Tommies played in the Sweet 16. Over the past two seasons, Amherst went undefeated and won the national championship.
The last time St. Thomas and Amherst faced each other was in the 2012 NCAA tournament, where the Tommies won 87-60 to take third place.
Justin Amaker can be reached at justin.amaker@stthomas.edu.