No. 9 ranked St. Thomas women’s basketball lost its second conference game in a row as No. 21 Augsburg, led by Jazmyn Solseth’s 19 points, rallied to win 69-65 in overtime Wednesday at Schoenecker Arena.
Back-and-forth possessions in the first half included five ties and two lead changes as the Tommies (6-2, 3-2 MIAC) led 28-23 at halftime.
“Defense wins games, and defense leads to offense,” sophomore forward Brynne Rolland said. “We all need to step up and talk louder.”
Tommie freshman guard Abby Mackenthun provided a spark off the bench as she led the way with 10 points shooting four-for-five in the first half.
“We all pulled together at some points,” Mackenthun said. “I may have been the spark, but it’s all together where we got the momentum.”
Augsburg senior guard Aiza Wilson ignited the Augsburg crowd (9-1, 5-0 MIAC) banking an off-balance 3-pointer with under a minute left in the third quarter.
“In December, it’s about understanding your identity and how you have to execute,” coach Ruth Sinn said. “As we move into January and February, then you start getting rolling, and we are still learning so we’ll get it.”
Tommie sophomore forward Shayla Wallin scored five points in the final minute of regulation to tie the game at 58, leading to an overtime period.
“The things that we didn’t do down the stretch, they’re correctable,” Sinn said. “We’re going to take this game and evaluate it, and we are going to move on and get better.”
The Auggies remain unbeaten in MIAC play, after outscoring the Tommies 11-7 in overtime.
St. Thomas plays at 3 p.m. on Dec. 29 in Wisconsin Dells taking on UW-Stevens Point.
Joey Swanson can be reached at swan5350@stthomas.edu.