The Tommies’ NCAA tournament hopes were dashed Saturday in Sioux Falls, S.D., as fifth-seeded St. Thomas fell 63-51 to North Dakota State in the Summit League women’s basketball tournament semifinals.
The Tommies had hoped to make a Cinderella run of sorts to punch the program’s first-ever ticket to the Division-I Big Dance in legendary coach Ruth Sinn’s final season on the bench. But the top-seeded Bison had other ideas.
The Tommies simply couldn’t generate enough offense against the Bison. While St. Thomas shot 60% from deep, it attempted just five free throws and turned the ball over a whopping 22 times, which generated 25 points going the other way for the Bison.
St. Thomas scored just seven points in the second quarter.
Avery Koenen, the conference’s player of the year, led North Dakota State with 31 points and eight rebounds.
Still, the Tommies trailed by just five to open the final frame. Yet an 8-0 Bison run over the first 75 seconds of the fourth quarter effectively put the game out of reach.
Jada Hood paced the Tommies with 17 points, while Alyssa Sand added 15 points and seven rebounds.
The Bison swept their three matchups against St. Thomas this season. North Dakota State, the league’s regular season champion, will play for the conference’s automatic NCAA tournament bid on Sunday at 3 p.m.
It’s possible Saturday marked Sinn’s final game on the St. Thomas sidelines, though the Tommies (16-16) could feasibly still play in a postseason tournament.
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