First-year center Jo Langbehn’s energy plays sparked St. Thomas women’s basketball as they dominated Northland College 92-19 Wednesday night, joining the Tommie men in a sweep of the Division III opponent before both squads enter Summit League play Monday.
The Tommies (3-7) outrebounded the Lumberjills (1-7) 62-17, holding a team that averages 36.6 rebounds per game to two boards in the third quarter and one in the fourth.
“Right away from the beginning, I remember (coach Brian Silk) telling me to go for every offensive rebound,” Langbehn said. “That was the key thing he wanted me to do, and from that, I feel like offensive rebounding sparks something else in me, and that helps me to play harder.”
Coach Ruth Sinn attributed some of the team’s improvement on the boards to an unlikely source: the St. Thomas football team.
“We’re very fortunate that we have some phenomenal practice guys,” Sinn said. “I keep laughing at this, but it is becoming true and true, half the football team has been helping us out, and they’re doing a great job. Their athleticism and the way they can really, if we don’t do our job, really get in the air and get over us.”
Several other players contributed to the early energy, with sophomore center Kate Burns finishing a lob from graduate student forward Erin Norling in the first play of the game. First-year forward Jordyn Lamker topped off the Tommies’ 24-0 first quarter shutout by stealing the ball, sprinting to the other end and laying in the full-court lob pass.
St. Thomas thrived off of put-backs the entire first half, including Langbehn’s first quarter hustle tip-in. Junior forward Abby Mackenthun led all rebounders with nine, eight of which were on the offensive glass.
“If you watched our Idaho State game, that was a game we weren’t as efficient on (the rebounds),” Sinn said. “I was really proud of the way the girls responded with that. How they attacked the offensive boards and how they really got into the opponents’ legs and made sure they had a great rebounding cuff on the defensive boards.”
Graduate student Kaia Porter said the Tommies’ non-conference schedule has shown the team the “size, speed, agility of what DI ball is” for the upcoming conference games, especially for the young lineup.
“The young group has done an amazing job of being as consistent as possible, which is not an easy thing to do when you have a new group,” Porter said. “We’ve done a great job so far, and I think it’s only going to get better in the next couple months we’re together.”
St. Thomas basketball opens its inaugural Division I conference play at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 20 against University of Nebraska-Omaha. The women host the Mavericks in Schoenecker Arena with the men on the road in Omaha.
Sinn said the road ahead in the Summit League will be about the team developing their identity.
“You’re seeing moments,” Sinn said. “We haven’t gotten the consistency yet, but it’s coming. It’s coming.”
Mia Laube can be reached at mia.laube@stthomas.edu.