The No. 2-ranked and undefeated St. Thomas women’s basketball team is one step closer to the NCAA tournament with its 75-52 victory over Saint Benedict in the semifinals Friday night at Schoenecker Arena.
After a slow start, a 16-0 run helped propel the Tommies (26-0 overall, 18-0 MIAC) in the second half.
Coach Ruth Sinn said the team’s depth allowed them to excel defensively.
“We tried to lock it down defensively and not letting them get to the rim so easy. I thought we did a good job on that,” Sinn said. “Because of that, we had opportunities to really expand the lead just from d-stop and run.”
Center Kaitlin Langer was a force under the basket breaking down her opponent in the paint and driving to the net. Langer, the MIAC’s leading scorer, led the way with 19 points.
The Bennies quickly shifted their game plan to stop Langer, allowing forward Lauren Fischer full reign of the perimeter. Fischer totalled 17 points, 15 of which came from the three-point line.
Coach Sinn said everyone gets opportunities when their opponent’s coverage is centered around Langer.
“It’s kind of like you’ve got to pick your poison on how you’re going to guard us,” Sinn said.
Whether in the paint or around the perimeter, the Tommies’ versatility is key to the team’s consistency and success.
“We know we have people who can drive. We know we have people who can shoot threes. I think it’s awesome that we know if one aspect of our game is being shutdown that we can rely on those other options,” Langer said.
The Tommies scored on their first possession and never looked back keeping a lead throughout the entirety of the game. St. Thomas concluded the first half with an 11 point lead, which only increased as the Tommies outscore the Johnnies 38-26 in the second half.
“I think playoff season is always a hard time because everyone brings their best, and it’s the time that everyone just kind of leaves it all out on the court, so I think we handled it really well,” Langer said. “(The Bennies) definitely had a really good first half but I think coming into the third quarter we were ready with our adjustments and we did a really good job of executing them.”
St. Thomas will play Gustavus in the MIAC Tournament title game at 1 p.m. Sunday in Schoenecker Arena.
“We are really excited to get our game plan ready for Gustavus and be ready to execute it on Sunday,” said Langer.
Carolyn Meyer can be reached at cameyer@stthomas.edu.