Starting her 21st season as St. Thomas women’s basketball head coach, Ruth Sinn told reporters on Wednesday the team is “beyond excited” as they prepare for their home opener.
St. Thomas is set to face Army at the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena on Saturday. The game is scheduled at 2 p.m.
“To open up a state-of-the-art facility such as the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena is amazing,” Sinn said. “I can speak firsthand for myself and for our players how grateful we are to have the opportunity to be in this facility. From the players lounge, to the film room, to the locker room, to the fueling station, to the weight room and the training room is just incredible.”
Sinn said even if there will be a lot of energy, the team needs to remain focused and play the game.
“It’s 94 feet, the baskets are the same, everything is gonna be the same,” Sinn said.
Senior guard Faith Feuerbach said the team is excited to start playing games at the new arena.
“Having a new stadium and practicing on a new court is definitely gonna help calm the nerves a little bit … each game is just a game no matter where you’re playing,” Feuerbach said.
St. Thomas started the season against No. 14 Iowa State on Monday. The Tommies lost to the Cyclones 85-36, but Sinn said the main takeaway is what the team can learn from playing an elite opponent.
After the first quarter, Iowa State led 22-12, but St. Thomas couldn’t create offense the rest of the game, combining for 24 points in the three remaining quarters.
St. Thomas has played Iowa State the last two seasons but has lost by at least 33 points in both meetings.
“We purposely put Iowa State in our schedule. We’re gonna be seeing some really good post players in our league,” Sinn said. “To go against an All-American such as Audi Crooks is an opportunity or it could be a defining moment. We are not letting it become a defining moment.”
The Tommies look to carry last season’s momentum into this season. St. Thomas finished 17-13, a Division I era best, but fell in the quarterfinals of the Summit League tournament.
St. Thomas lost their three top scorers from last year, but Sinn said the offense looks to be “more collective.”
“It’s gonna be much more about our spacing and about really trying to create opportunities to get other people advantages,” Sinn said.
Sophomore guard Alyssa Sand looks to be the top scoring option for Sinn. In Monday’s game, Sand recorded 17 points, 10 of which came in the first quarter, and seven rebounds.
“I just feel like I am more confident than I was last year,” Sand said. “Last year I had a lot of role models that I can look up to and I learned a lot of stuff from. But I feel like this year, I’m trying to tackle my role differently and just trying to be a leader a little more this year.”
Junior forward Savannah McGowan, sophomore guard Abbey Vallance and graduate guard Jada Hood joined Sand and Feuerbach in the starting lineup in their first game. First-year forward Autumn McCall, first-year guard Lydia Aalsma and sophomore guard Laura Hauge were the first options off the bench.
“Yes, we’re younger, we’re not as experienced as we were before, but we’re very eager to learn from our opportunities and what’s ahead of us,” Sinn said.
Juan Del Valle can be reached at delv9625@stthomas.edu.
