Guard Carley Emery led the No. 9-ranked Tommies to a 76-41 victory with her 13 total game points against St. Kate’s Saturday in Schoenecker Arena.
The Tommies (13-2 overall, 11-1 MIAC) kept the Wildcats (1-14 overall, 0-12 MIAC) scoreless for the first 11 minutes of the game, and they extended their home-court winning streak to 24.
Forward Anna Smith sparked the Tommies with a layup to get them on the board a couple minutes in.
Coach Ruth Sinn said prepping for games like these can be a challenge.
“I told the girls that we have to play to our standards, and the nice thing is is that we got to a 17-0 start,” Sinn said. “That’s a sign of a good team, and that they can keep to their standards even though the team we are playing are in the bottom of the conference.”
Since guard Kelly Brandenburg was out due to an ankle injury, Sinn said there were plenty of players to step in to lead.
“That’s the beauty of this team. We have got a lot of different people who can step up,” Sinn said. “If Kelly is down, we can put Carley in the lineup, and she can step up.”
Emery said that she was shocked to hear that she led the team in points, and she said the Tommies put good pressure on St. Kate’s.
“We had really good full-court defense, and we made them turn over the ball,” Emery said. “That was pretty good.”
Right before halftime, guard Annessa Hicks had a steal and scored a couple points with 45 seconds left to keep the Tommies’ momentum and energy going.
“I played pretty well and brought some intensity,” Hicks said. “It’s hard to stay focused in a game like this, that’s what we talked about in the Locker Room. Just to stay focused.”
Forwards Taylor Young and Anna Smith both posted six points at the end of the first half.
The second half started with a kick when guard Kellie Ring pushed the Tommies to 40 points with a quick turnover and layup.
St. Thomas kept its lead and pressure on the Wildcats with tough defense, however the Wildcats gained a little at 12:48 with a couple baskets, but Hicks pushed the Tommies 57-20 with a 3-pointer after a couple passes.
The Tommies continued to dominate, and the Wildcats did not give up.
Guard Courtney Pahl put the cherry on the top just a minute left in the game to sink a 3-pointer making it the last time St. Thomas would score in the game leaving the final score 76-41.
“The neat thing about this team is that it really is a collective team, and they share the ball. They work together,” Sinn said. “That’s what we keep on stressing to continue.”
St. Thomas travels to Concordia-Moorhead Jan. 21 for its next matchup.
Hannah Anderson can be reached at ande5385@stthomas.edu.