Sophomore center Maggie Weiers posted another solid performance with 21 points and nine rebounds to spark the Tommies’ 70-48 blowout win over the Carleton Knights Saturday at Schoenecker Arena.
In her last game, Weiers dropped 22 points on Macalester. Her dominance in the post is impressing her teammates.
“Maggie has really stepped up this year,” sophomore forward Taylor Young said. “She basically scores at will, and we needed her to do that in this game.”
Weiers attributes her success to staying composed, something she has worked on since last season.
“I used to freak out when I got the ball,” Weiers said. “But now I slow down and assess what is going on, on the court. I end up playing my best games when I just slow down and think.”
The Tommies (6-1 overall, 4-0 MIAC) started slow against the Knights (1-6, 0-5). Carleton seemed to shock St. Thomas by opening the game with a three-pointer from sophomore guard Jenny Ramey and an easy put-back by junior guard/forward Akemi Arzouman.
Coach Ruth Sinn called a timeout while her team was down 7-0 to assess the stagnant play.
“Coach holds us to higher standards and expects us to have strong starts,” senior forward Ali Johnson said.
Young was proud that her team was able to turn the game around after its poor start.
“We were able to bounce back and played with more energy and intensity,” Young said.
Carleton threw different zone and man-to-man defenses at the Tommies early in the game, which Johnson believes confused her team and caused the flat start. She said her team eventually adjusted to the defenses and attacked them well.
“Teams are going to throw different things at us every game because we have a mismatch at every position,” Johnson said.
The Tommies tore the game open toward the end of the first half. The team’s full-court press forced several Knight turnovers and created easy scoring opportunities.
“Our full-court press really helped us today,” Young said. “It gave us energy and helped us cause Carleton to turn the ball over more.”
The talented scoring combination of Weiers and Young propelled St. Thomas to a 26-17 halftime lead over Carleton. The pair combined for 19 of the team’s 26 points.
Tommies’ second half domination
The Tommies could not be stopped in the second half. Carleton was forced to call a timeout after Johnson dished the ball to senior center Sarah Smith for a layup that pushed St. Thomas ahead 47-30.
Young thinks her team’s all-around athletic build will benefit them in the long run.
“We’re arguably the most athletic team in the MIAC,” Young said. “I think our speed and strength allows us to run the ball more and press teams more.”
The Tommies’ speed and strength proved to be too much for the Knights. St. Thomas was able to put in almost all of its reserve players in the second half.
Johnson believes her team put the game out of reach when it had solid composure.
“We play our best when we are calm and under control,” Johnson said. “Once we collected ourselves in the first half, we finished the game strong and composed.”
With the win, St. Thomas extended its winning steak to six games and is one of the top teams in conference rankings.
“It’s a great way to start the season, but we are not done yet,” Johnson said.
The Tommies will be tested in their next game against St. Olaf, the only team with an overall undefeated record.
“St. Olaf is a tough team. They’re the surprise team in the MIAC and we cannot have a start like we did against Carleton when we play the Oles,” Young said.
Hayley Schnell can be reached at schn3912@stthomas.edu.