University of St. Thomas Athletics
14-1, 9-1MIAC
St. Olaf
13-2, 8-2MIAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Univ. of St. Thomas | 36 | 50 | 86 |
| St. Olaf | 38 | 39 | 77 |
Late surge sends Men's Hoops to 10th win in row
1/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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By DOUG HENNES
NORTHFIELD – St. Thomas coach John Tauer has looked all season for his men's basketball team to show focus and intensity for all 40 minutes, and Wednesday night he got what he wanted.
The Top 20 showdown for first place in the MIAC lived up to its pre-game hype, and the No. 3 Tommies (14-1, 9-1) edged No. 19 St. Olaf 86-77 to extend their winning streak to 10 games at the halfway point of the conference season. The Oles dropped to 13-2 and 8-2.
"What a night!" Tauer said of a game that had 14 ties and seven lead changes. "St. Olaf is a great team, and we fully expected this to go back and forth. We played with tremendous energy and, most importantly, we trusted each other on the road and in a tough environment. I'll go into battle with our guys any day."
Sophomore guard Grant Shaeffer led St. Thomas as he matched his career-high with 22 points, including 16 in the second half. Four other Tommies finished scoring in double figures: Ryan Saarela had 14 points, and Conner Nord, Taylor Montero and Cortez Tillman each scored 13. Nord also hauled down 12 rebounds, including six offensive boards.
"This one means a lot," Shaeffer said, referring to how St. Olaf knocked off the regular-season champion Tommies in the conference playoff title game last March in St. Paul. "We proved tonight we can play tough. We still have a long way to go, but this sets us up well for the second half (of the MIAC schedule)."
The key plays of the game came on defense with less than two minutes left and St. Thomas clinging to a 78-75 lead. The Oles had the ball but it came loose during a scramble in the lane and Saarela, breaking away, went in for an easy layup. On the ensuing St. Olaf possession, Tillman stole the ball near the lane and fed a breakaway Nord for a stuff and a 82-75 lead with 1:22 to go.
"Active hands on D," Tauer said about the two defensive stops. "We always talk about active hands on D, and it paid off at the end."
Oles Hot Early
St. Olaf came in as the No. 5 team in NCAA Division III for field-goal shooting percentage at 50.7 percent, and showed why in the opening minutes. The Oles hit nine of their first 10 shots but the Tommies hung close and took their first lead at 27-25 on a jumper by Shaeffer, who was 9-of-12 from the field. St. Olaf responded with a 7-0 run to go up by five, and still led 38-36 at halftime.
The Oles twice built five-point leads early in the second half before an 8-0 St. Thomas run provided a 53-50 lead. The Tommies later built their own five-point lead at 71-66 but a 7-0 run gave the Oles their last lead, at 73-71, with 4:42 left. St. Thomas went back on top for good on Tillman's third 3-pointer of the game, setting up the defensive heroics at the end.
As hot as St. Olaf was from the field, outshooting the Tommies 61 percent to 53 percent, UST's 12-2 edge in free-throw scoring spelled the difference in the game. The Oles were just 2 of 8 on free throws and were outrebounded 36-26.
St. Thomas returns home Saturday (3 p.m.), after three games on the road, to face St. John's. The Tommies upended the Johnnies 77-69 in early December in Collegeville. St. John's (9-6, 7-3) defeated Macalester 72-41 at home Wednesday and sits in third place in the MIAC.
The Tommies already have eight road victories on the season, including two over top-25 ranked teams. They will play seven of their last 10 games at home to close the regular season.
