University of St. Thomas Athletics
Saturday, December 11
St. Paul, Minn.
7:00 p.m.
4-6,0-0Summit League
65
vs
72
Montana State
7-4,1-1Big Sky
1
2
F
Montana St.
39
33
72
St. Thomas (MN)
36
29
65
Team Stats
MSU
UST
FG%
.490
.379
3FG%
.333
.219
FT%
.680
.778
RB
35
34
TO
16
13
STL
8
9
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Men’s Basketball 18-point lead falters at home against Montana State
12/11/2021 9:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
St. Paul, Minn. – The St. Thomas Men's Basketball team pounced on the Montana State Bobcats early, leading by as many as 18 points, but ultimately fell short suffering a 72-65 defeat.
"Very proud of how our guys competed tonight against an excellent Montana State team," said Head Coach Dr. Johnny Tauer. "I think they're very well coached – their length, athleticism and ability to penetrate was impressive. I thought our guys stuck together throughout on a night when we didn't shoot our best but competed for 40 minutes. Although not happy with the outcome, very proud of how our guys played and how they always stay together through the ups and downs of a season."
The Tommies jumped out to an early 11-5 lead forcing Montana State to use a timeout as an attempt to cool them off, after St. Thomas hit five of their first seven shots. Senior G Anders Nelson scored seven of the Tommies first 11 points.
St. Thomas' hot streak continued, at the first media timeout with 11:47 to play, the Purple led 25-9 behind a 9-of-14 (64 percent) shooting effort from the field and a stifling defensive effort. In the first eight minutes of the game, the Tommies forced six Bobcat turnovers and recorded five steals. Additionally, St. Thomas limited Montana State to a 4-of-11 (36 percent) showing from the field.
Over the next five minutes, Montana State went on a 9-4 run cutting the St. Thomas lead to 29-18 with 6:36 remaining in the first half. Through the first 13 minutes of play, the Tommies only connected on 2-of-10 shots from behind the arc, but still held an 11-point lead.
Montana State switched to a zone defense and cranked up the pressure. The Bobcat hot streak continued as they overcame an 18-point lead to take a three-point lead, 39-36 into intermission.
As a team, St. Thomas connected on 13-of-33 (39 percent) of its shots from the field and only 3-of-17 (18 percent) from behind the arc. The Tommie defense did force 10 first-half turnovers from Montana State and recorded six steals. Nelson led the Purple with 11 first-half points, while Allen contributed eight points.
In a slower-paced start to the second-half the Bobcats jumped out to their largest lead, 48-41 with 15:21 to play in the game.
The Tommies went on a 9-2 run to even the game at 50-50 with just under 12 minutes to play before taking their first lead of the second half, 53-50 off a three-point basket by senior G Kevin Cunningham.
In a battle over the next five minutes, Montana State owned a 58-57 lead with 7:42 to play. At that point, there were 37 total personal fouls and 25 turnovers between the two teams.
With 3:45 to play, the Bobcats extended their lead to six, 65-59, riding a 7-2 run. The teams exchanged a pair of baskets and Montana State held a 67-61 lead with 1:12 to play. The Purple couldn't complete the comeback, falling by a score of 72-65.
As a team, St. Thomas shot 38 percent from the field (22-of-58) and 22 percent (7-of-32) from behind the arc. Individually, Nelson led the Tommies with 17 points, junior F Brooks Allen contributed 13 points and grad student G Burt Hedstrom poured in 11 points.
The Tommies return to the hardwood on Tues., Dec. 14 as they host Northland College, tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.
"Very proud of how our guys competed tonight against an excellent Montana State team," said Head Coach Dr. Johnny Tauer. "I think they're very well coached – their length, athleticism and ability to penetrate was impressive. I thought our guys stuck together throughout on a night when we didn't shoot our best but competed for 40 minutes. Although not happy with the outcome, very proud of how our guys played and how they always stay together through the ups and downs of a season."
The Tommies jumped out to an early 11-5 lead forcing Montana State to use a timeout as an attempt to cool them off, after St. Thomas hit five of their first seven shots. Senior G Anders Nelson scored seven of the Tommies first 11 points.
St. Thomas' hot streak continued, at the first media timeout with 11:47 to play, the Purple led 25-9 behind a 9-of-14 (64 percent) shooting effort from the field and a stifling defensive effort. In the first eight minutes of the game, the Tommies forced six Bobcat turnovers and recorded five steals. Additionally, St. Thomas limited Montana State to a 4-of-11 (36 percent) showing from the field.
Over the next five minutes, Montana State went on a 9-4 run cutting the St. Thomas lead to 29-18 with 6:36 remaining in the first half. Through the first 13 minutes of play, the Tommies only connected on 2-of-10 shots from behind the arc, but still held an 11-point lead.
Montana State switched to a zone defense and cranked up the pressure. The Bobcat hot streak continued as they overcame an 18-point lead to take a three-point lead, 39-36 into intermission.
As a team, St. Thomas connected on 13-of-33 (39 percent) of its shots from the field and only 3-of-17 (18 percent) from behind the arc. The Tommie defense did force 10 first-half turnovers from Montana State and recorded six steals. Nelson led the Purple with 11 first-half points, while Allen contributed eight points.
In a slower-paced start to the second-half the Bobcats jumped out to their largest lead, 48-41 with 15:21 to play in the game.
The Tommies went on a 9-2 run to even the game at 50-50 with just under 12 minutes to play before taking their first lead of the second half, 53-50 off a three-point basket by senior G Kevin Cunningham.
In a battle over the next five minutes, Montana State owned a 58-57 lead with 7:42 to play. At that point, there were 37 total personal fouls and 25 turnovers between the two teams.
With 3:45 to play, the Bobcats extended their lead to six, 65-59, riding a 7-2 run. The teams exchanged a pair of baskets and Montana State held a 67-61 lead with 1:12 to play. The Purple couldn't complete the comeback, falling by a score of 72-65.
As a team, St. Thomas shot 38 percent from the field (22-of-58) and 22 percent (7-of-32) from behind the arc. Individually, Nelson led the Tommies with 17 points, junior F Brooks Allen contributed 13 points and grad student G Burt Hedstrom poured in 11 points.
The Tommies return to the hardwood on Tues., Dec. 14 as they host Northland College, tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.
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