University of St. Thomas Athletics
22-3,17-3MIAC
Hamline
11-14, 8-12MIAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamline University | 27 | 35 | 62 |
| St. Thomas | 40 | 49 | 89 |
Milestone win, solo MIAC title for M. Hoops
2/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Junior Taylor Montero sank a career-high 29 points and the host Tommies became just the third Division III basketball program to reach 1,600 victories with Saturday's 89-62 defeat of Hamline in MIAC play at Schoenecker Arena.
The No. 3-ranked Tommies (22-3 overall, 17-3 MIAC) secured a solo league championship, one game ahead of runner-up St. Olaf (16-4). It's the 10th conference title in a row for UST.
St. Thomas joins Ohio schools Wittenberg and Wooster as the lone programs with 1,600 or more all-time victories.
The Toms closed the first half on a 22-8 run to take a 40-27 halftime lead. They used a 19-3 second-half run to pull away.
UST shot 53 percent from the field, had a 45-29 rebounding advantage, and had only seven turnovers. Montero scored 15 points on six consecutive shots during a 5:31 stretch of the second half.
Conner Nord had 10 points and 10 rebounds; Marcus Alipate and Jimmy Remke each chipped in 11 points; and Will Dunn scored a career-high eight points on 4-of-4 shooting. Jimmy Ancius, one of three players honored on Senior Day, made his first career starts and had six points, six boards, two assists and one steal.
Zach Smith led Hamline with 14 points.
The Tommies are in the conference playoffs for the 15th consecutive season. They have a first-round bye and will play either Bethel, Concordia-Moorhead, or Gustavus, the 4-5-6 seeds, on Friday night in the semifinal round.
