Senior guard Maddie Wolkow sank five 3-pointers en route to a career-high 17 points to lead No. 8-ranked St. Thomas to a 62-56 win over Gustavus in the MIAC women's basketball playoff championship game at Schoenecker Arena.
The top-seed Tommies (25-2) won the conference playoff title for the seventh year in a row and eighth time in nine seasons. The St. Thomas seniors are 78-2 against MIAC opponents over their four-year era and have 54 consecutive wins over conference opponents.
St. Thomas sank 11-of-25 from 3-point range and had only 11 turnovers. After Gustavus had climbed within three points, Wolkow sank two treys on consecutive possessions in the final 3:00 as part of a 6-2 Tommie run. She played 38 minutes and closed with five rebounds and three assists and scored 11 of her 17 points in the final two quarters.
Despite playing without injured junior center Hannah Spaulding -- the nation's leading field-goal shooter and the league's top scorer -- the Tommies extended their season win streak to 18. Junior Lucia Renikoff scored 13 points, including 3-of-4 at the foul loine in the final minute, while junior Kaylie Brazil added 11 points and four assists.
The Gusties (22-6) had 20 offensive rebounds and a 42-27 advantage on the boards but shot just 29 percent from the floor and had 15 turnovers. Senior Miranda Rice scored 11 of her team-high 13 points in the second half. Junior Kendall Thompson had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
The Tommies led 28-24 at halftime and never reliquished the lead. The Gusties pulled within 53-50 with 3:18 to go and 59-56 with :58 remaining, but never had a possession to tie or lead down the stretch.
Notes
St. Thomas is in the NCAA playoff field for the 25th time in program history and the seventh year in a row. The Toms will learn their playoff assignment and full bracket on Monday.
The Toms are 6-1 this season against 20-win teams.
A different player has led the Toms in scoring each of the last four games.
The Tommie women have won 20 consecutive games against Gustavus since the February 2010 postseason.