The St. Thomas women’s basketball team started off their season strong with two home wins, while Kelly Vass was firing on all cylinders.
The first came against the University of King’s College Blue Devils, where they won 88-71. The Tommies had no problem with their offense, with five players scoring in double figures.
Vass scored 18 points to lead the Tommies. Meanwhile, new Tommie Jessica Patenaude scored 15 points in her regular season debut, hitting a pair of three point shots. Fourth-year Tommie Hilary Goodine had 15 points and 10 rebounds to get the double-double.
Goodine said the team’s defense was not where it needed to be this weekend.
“That was a big struggle this weekend,” said Goodine. “We were leaving players wide open.”
The Blue Devils knocked down nine three-pointers on Saturday’s game, and STU was going to need to limit those if they were going to defeat their Sunday matchup, the Mount Saint Vincent Mystics.
“We were well aware that if we played like that against MSVU that there would have been a high chance of losing,” said Goodine.
The Mystics finished third in the ACAA last year, under St. Thomas and the Holland College Hurricanes. The Tommies kept up a consistent flurry of offense, winning every single quarter.
Vass couldn’t be stopped, as she scored 27 points. In addition to her scoring, she pulled down 11 rebounds, and almost got the triple-double, but instead finished with seven assists.
In the next day’s game, it seemed STU’s defense improved overnight. The Tommies allowed the Blue Devils to score 71 points, but held the Mystics to 63, despite MSVU being the stronger team. The Tommies won Sunday’s game 76-63.
“Our defense was more intact. Against King’s we were leaving players wide open. Our rotations were not there, so that all got cleaned up against MSVU,” said Goodine.
The Tommies will play what will likely be their toughest game of the season on Nov. 15 against the Holland College Hurricanes in Prince Edward Island.
