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Sophomore Maggie Weiers’s 18 points led the St. Thomas women’s basketball team (10-1, 8-0 MIAC) to a close 49-41 win against Augsburg (6-5, 3-5 MIAC) Saturday at home.

The Tommies had a shaky start but pulled through in the second half.

“(Augsburg) came out with a lot of energy… it kind of surprised us at first,” sophomore Taylor Young said.

Coach Ruth Sinn said that the Auggies controlled everything from the tempo to the energy in the first half, and the Tommies trailed 19-14 going into halftime.

“We figured out what we needed to fix and change, and we came back with a lot more intensity and hustle. That really helped bring up the energy,” Weiers said.

Sinn was glad the women responded with a better effort in the second half.

“In the second half, you saw a lot of energy, a lot of passion, a lot of emotion,” Sinn said. “We have to learn to play like that all the time.”

Young said that at halftime, she had faith the team would pull through.

“I just knew we had to fight a little bit,” Young said.

Young finished the game with 17 points and four rebounds but didn’t get all of the playing time she wanted due to foul trouble.

“I haven’t fouled out in years…that was really frustrating for me,” Young said.

The Tommies were aggressive at the end of the game, driving to the hole and finishing layups. The win kept the women in first place in the MIAC.

“I’m very impressed with our record right now,” Weiers said. “We weren’t expecting something like this.”

Sinn said the women still need to work hard but will have fun doing it.

“The hard thing about it is we have to be ready to play every single possession,” Sinn said.

The Tommies will face Carleton Jan. 11 at 5:45 p.m. on the road.

Rita Kovtun can be reached at kovt1547@stthomas.edu.