Senior all-American Kaitlin Langer scored 19 points and commanded the lane in the final minutes to thrust second-ranked St. Thomas past the University of Chicago, 73-69, in the second round NCAA Division III tournament action Saturday at Steve Fritz Court.
Langer found herself in foul trouble early in the second half as she was forced to watch her team from the bench for the majority of the third quarter with three fouls.
The University of Chicago (19-8) fought hard against the country’s No. 2 ranked team but couldn’t find a way to stay ahead. The teams went back and forth all night, trading buckets from tip-off to the final buzzer.
“It had to have been a great game if you were just a fan. It was a game of plays, and it was a game of intense defense,” St. Thomas head coach Ruth Sinn said. “I give Chicago a lot of credit.”
The Maroons came out strong early, scoring the first five points of the game. St. Thomas (29-0) quickly responded with back-to-back three point shots. The first quarter ended with a 18-19 Chicago lead.
Maddie Wolkow caught fire while draining two three pointers in the second quarter, one of which was a buzzer beater ending the half. Chicago would not back down though, as the teams found themselves tied at 34 going into the locker rooms at halftime.
“You lose a little bit of your game plan when you’re in those frantic, emotional situations,” Langer said.
St. Thomas felt the pressure after their all-American center was sent to the bench due to foul trouble early in the third quarter. The Tommies trailed the Maroons 48-47 going into the final quarter of play.
“They were being the aggressors,” guard Lucia Renikoff said.
Langer said they managed to turn that aggression around by heading to the free throw line time after time in the fourth quarter.
“The free throws shows how aggressive we were,” Langer said. “They were controlling the pace of the game, and that had to switch.”
St. Thomas will play the Marymount University (24-5) on Friday, March 10. Time and location will be determined later.
Gamiel Hall can be reached at hall0211@stthomas.edu.