The No. 3 St. Thomas women’s basketball team defeated No. 24 Augsburg University 73-54 to claim their eighth consecutive MIAC championship Saturday at Schoenecker Arena.

The Tommies (26-1, 18-0 MIAC) outlasted the hard-nosed Auggies (22-5, 16-2 MIAC) for a trip to the Division III tournament and their eighth straight MIAC tournament championship.

“Give these ladies credit,” coach Ruth Sinn said. “It’s a lot of burden to carry, winning seven straight championships. They just keep raising the bar higher.”

The game was closely contested throughout, but the senior center Hannah Spaulding and the Tommies dominated the paint. Spaulding finished with 25 points, 17 rebounds and was 7-for-10 from the free throw line. In three games vs. Augsburg this season, Spaulding has averaged 22 points and 15 rebounds.

“I think there’s a lot of opportunities because their guards play hard pressure on ours,” Spaulding said. “Augsburg is always a fun game.”

Despite a lackluster first quarter team shooting performance and a narrow 29-25 halftime lead, senior guard Lucia Renikoff lead the Tommies with poise.

“We talk about it a lot with our younger players,” Renikoff said. “We try to get them acclimated in the playoffs. The seniors are just trying to get everyone calm.”

The Tommies were able to gain momentum from the home crowd, outscoring the Auggies 22-9 in the fourth quarter.

“They love it when it’s the big game,” Sinn said. “That’s what it’s about.”

The Tommies await their tournament seeding and opponent, which will be released to the public Monday.

Alex Panos can be reached at pana8391@stthomas.edu.