University of St. Thomas Athletics
Thursday, December 8
Bozeman, Mont.
8:00 p.m. Central
at
Montana State
Photo by: Wesley Dean
Men’s Basketball faces Montana State in Bozeman, Mont., to start road weekend
12/7/2022 10:26:00 AM | Men's Basketball
St. Paul, Minn. -- St. Thomas Men's Basketball travels for a road weekend, first on Thursday, Dec. 8 at Montana State in Bozeman, Mont. The Tommies and Bobcats tip-off at 8 p.m. central at Worthington Arena in the fifth game of the all-time series.
Tommie Watch
The Purple won by an average margin of 41.5 points during its last two games, coming against NCAA Division III opponents North Central (Minn.) on Nov. 29 and Crown College on Dec. 3. The Tommies beat the Rams, 111-63, before taking down the Polars, 91-56, at Schoenecker Arena.
A group of six Tommies scored in double figures against North Central, led by Ryan Dufault, Dom Martinelli and Ben Nau with career highs. Dufault led the team in scoring with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and also paced the squad with a career-best nine assists. Martinelli followed with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting with four rebounds while Nau totaled 15 points with three 3-pointers.
The scoring attack began early as the Tommies started 4-of-4 from the field, highlighted by a fast break dunk by Andrew Rohde, who finished with 13 points. Riley Miller knocked down his only 3-pointer of the game to give the Purple a 9-2 lead, which was pushed to 10 points two minutes later on Courtney Brown, Jr.'s second basket of the night.
A 22-4 run gave the Tommies a 26-point, 37-11 advantage before going into halftime with a 61-32 lead. The Tommies knocked down 71.0 percent from the field (22-31) with 36 points in the paint through the first half before shooting 52.5 percent (21-40) with 28 points in the paint and 15 second-chance points in the second half.
The duo of Riley Miller and Andrew Rohde combined for 42 points and seven assists with no turnovers against Crown College. Miller led the way with 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting, 7-of-16 from beyond the arc, and added five rebounds.
St. Thomas began the game on a 20-5 run, including 12 points from Miller. After leading by 25 at halftime, the Polars drew the Tommie lead down to 15 nearly eight minutes into the second half. St. Thomas answered with a 10-0 run and held Crown to 33.9 percent shooting in the game to seal its seventh win of the season.
Series History
St. Thomas and Montana State will meet for the fifth time in program history. The Tommies hosted the Bobcats Dec. 11, 2021, in the first meeting since the 1947-48 season. The series is currently tied, 2-2.
Brooks Allen totaled 13 points during last season's meeting on 5-of-11 shooting and led the team with eight rebounds. The Tommies shot 37.9 percent from the field and 21.9 percent from beyond the arc compared to 49.0 percent from the floor by the Bobcats and 33.3 percent from 3-point range.
Scouting Montana State
Montana State is 4-5 overall after snapping a three-game losing streak Nov. 30 against Southern Utah. The Bobcats took down the Thunderbirds, 86-83 behind a last-second layup in Cedar City, Utah. MSU forced a turnover and scored on a fast-break layup, converting an and-one opportunity for the win.
RaeQuan Battle is second in the Big Sky and 57th in the country with 18.4 points per game, recording five games with at least 20 points. He scored a season-high 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting Nov. 20 against North Dakota. Darius Brown II is second in the conference and 32nd in the country with 5.5 assists per game.
Montana State averages 70.9 points per game on 44.6 percent shooting from the field and 30.9 percent from 3-point range. The Bobcats pull down 34.8 rebounds per game while allowing their opponents to 31.8.
NET Ranking
St. Thomas enters the week ranked 130th of 363 teams in the NCAA Evaluation Tool Ranking, second among all Summit League teams. Only Oral Roberts is ranked highest than St. Thomas at 70.
The Tommies have played two games against top 32 teams (Utah, 19th/Creighton, 32nd) and have wins against Troy (121) and Milwaukee (158).
Above .500
The Tommies have shot above 50 percent from the field in six of their seven wins this season. In addition, the Purple shot exactly 42.9 percent from 3-point range in wins over Chicago State, St. Francis Brooklyn, and Troy. St. Thomas has hit at least 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range during four of the last six games.
St. Thomas has totaled five games shooting at least 50 percent from the floor this season after recording six such games last season. The Tommies were 5-1 in those games last season.
The Tommies are tied for 14th in the country shooting 50.1 percent from the field this season.
From the Parking Lot
St. Thomas' 3-point shooting has been on display in recent years, and this season is no different. The Tommies sank a season-high 17 3-point field goals against Merrimack on Nov. 19, totaling the Warriors' rebound total in the game.
The St. Thomas program record for 3-pointers in a game was 15 from 1992-2018. Since 2018, the Tommies have made at least 17 3-pointers in a game on 16 occasions. The current program record is 22, set twice during the 2021-22 season against Northland and North Central.
St. Thomas hit 10 3-pointers against North Central and Crown, marking the fourth and fifth instances of double-digit long balls over the last six games. The Tommies are currently tied for 36th nationally with 9.6 3-pointers per game.
Head in the Clouds
St. Thomas played four of a five game stretch at high altitude, three at the Zootown Classic (Nov. 17-19) in Missoula Mont, (3,209') and Nov. 26 at Utah (4,226'). After a two-game homestand Nov. 29 and Dec. 3, St. Thomas will close its non-conference road schedule at even higher elevation. The Purple will play Montana State Dec. 8 in Bozeman, Mont., (4,793') and Idaho State Dec. 10 in Pocatello, Idaho (4,462'). As part of the Summit League schedule, St. Thomas will also travel to Denver, Colo., Feb. 4 to take on Denver at its highest elevation (5,279').
Reaching the Peak for the First Time
Riley Miller became the first Tommie to earn the TicketSmarter Summit League Peak Performer of the Week on Nov. 21 following his performance at the Zootown Classic.
Zootown Classic
Riley Miller led St. Thomas with 16.7 points per game on 43.3 percent shooting from the field (13-30) and 46.4 percent from 3-point range (13-28). He also went a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line while playing 32.2 minutes per game.
Andrew Rohde's performance at the Zootown Classic was highlighted by the game-winning basket to lift St. Thomas over Troy. He tied Miller for a team-high 16 points against the Trojans, including shooting 7-of-7 from the free throw line, with three 3-pointers, two assists and one block.
Miller and Rohde were both selected to the Zootown Classic All-Tournament Team.
The 38th Member of the Club
Riley Miller entered the 2022-23 season 27 points shy of 1,000 for his career. After scoring 13 points against No. 9 Creighton in the season opener, he scored 15 against Chicago State to hit the milestone. He became the 38th Tommie all-time to reach the mark, sinking the first of two free throws with 10:22 to play against the Cougars.
Miller began his Tommie career with 145 points as a freshman and 247 as a sophomore before further increasing his scoring average with 133 points in just seven games during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. Miller totaled nearly half of his career scoring total last season with 448 points while 723 of his career total have come behind the 3-point line.
Miller is the first Tommie to reach 1,000 career points since guard Anders Nelson during the 2020-21 season.
The 3-Point Veteran
Riley Miller surpassed 100 made 3-pointers last season and is at 241 made on his 104-game career. He made 103 treys as he converted 41 percent behind the arc last season. Miller was one of just four D-I shooters to make 100 or more threes and convert at 40 percent or better behind the arc.
His nine 3-pointers against Merrimack this season set a new career-high and was one shy of tying the program single-game record, set by Curt Kietzer with 10 in 1987. It's also the second-best 3-point performance in NCAA D-I this season.
Miller leads the nation with 36 total 3-pointers and leads the Summit League and ranks sixth nationally with 3.6 3-point field goals per game. He also leads the league and is tied for 32nd in the country shooting 46.2 percent from long range and is seventh with 14.2 points per game.
Freshmen Leading the Way
Andrew Rohde has led the Tommies in scoring during four of 10 games this season and is second on the team scoring 13.7 points per game, which also ranks eighth in the Summit League. He has a team-high 54 field goals made and 3.8 assists per game.
Rohde scored 20 points during the Nov. 13 win over St. Francis Brooklyn, becoming the first Tommie freshman to score at least 20 points in a game since Anders Nelson recorded six games with at least 20 points in 2018-19.
Kendall Blue leads the bench with 8.4 points per game on 46.9 percent shooting. He has scored double-digit points in five of the last eight games, including a career-high 15 against St. Francis Brooklyn. Blue made his first career start Nov. 29 versus North Central.
NCAA DI Recruiting Class: Part Two
After bringing in Ben Nau and Ryan Dufault during the 2021 Tommie Signing Class, the 2022 class was bumped up to four with the additions of Carter Bjerke (6-9, F), Kendall Blue (6-6, G), Ahjany Lee (6-9, F) and Andrew Rohde (6-6, G).
The 2022 class was ranked number 52 of 368 schools according to Rivals.com. Additionally, only three of the top 50 ranked classes were mid-major schools.
Opponents Across the Country
St. Thomas will face programs from across eight conferences, outside of the Summit League: Big East (Creighton), Big Sky (Montana, Montana State), Horizon (Milwaukee, Green Bay), NEC (St. Francis Brooklyn, Merrimack), Pac 12 (Utah), Sun Belt (Troy), UMAC (Crown, North Central), WAC (Chicago State).
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas Men's Basketball, follow along on Twitter at @TommieMBBall and on Instagram at @TommieHoops
Join Us
To reserve your seat to be a part of the Tommies' 2022 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.
Tommie Watch
The Purple won by an average margin of 41.5 points during its last two games, coming against NCAA Division III opponents North Central (Minn.) on Nov. 29 and Crown College on Dec. 3. The Tommies beat the Rams, 111-63, before taking down the Polars, 91-56, at Schoenecker Arena.
A group of six Tommies scored in double figures against North Central, led by Ryan Dufault, Dom Martinelli and Ben Nau with career highs. Dufault led the team in scoring with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and also paced the squad with a career-best nine assists. Martinelli followed with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting with four rebounds while Nau totaled 15 points with three 3-pointers.
The scoring attack began early as the Tommies started 4-of-4 from the field, highlighted by a fast break dunk by Andrew Rohde, who finished with 13 points. Riley Miller knocked down his only 3-pointer of the game to give the Purple a 9-2 lead, which was pushed to 10 points two minutes later on Courtney Brown, Jr.'s second basket of the night.
A 22-4 run gave the Tommies a 26-point, 37-11 advantage before going into halftime with a 61-32 lead. The Tommies knocked down 71.0 percent from the field (22-31) with 36 points in the paint through the first half before shooting 52.5 percent (21-40) with 28 points in the paint and 15 second-chance points in the second half.
The duo of Riley Miller and Andrew Rohde combined for 42 points and seven assists with no turnovers against Crown College. Miller led the way with 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting, 7-of-16 from beyond the arc, and added five rebounds.
St. Thomas began the game on a 20-5 run, including 12 points from Miller. After leading by 25 at halftime, the Polars drew the Tommie lead down to 15 nearly eight minutes into the second half. St. Thomas answered with a 10-0 run and held Crown to 33.9 percent shooting in the game to seal its seventh win of the season.
Series History
St. Thomas and Montana State will meet for the fifth time in program history. The Tommies hosted the Bobcats Dec. 11, 2021, in the first meeting since the 1947-48 season. The series is currently tied, 2-2.
Brooks Allen totaled 13 points during last season's meeting on 5-of-11 shooting and led the team with eight rebounds. The Tommies shot 37.9 percent from the field and 21.9 percent from beyond the arc compared to 49.0 percent from the floor by the Bobcats and 33.3 percent from 3-point range.
Scouting Montana State
Montana State is 4-5 overall after snapping a three-game losing streak Nov. 30 against Southern Utah. The Bobcats took down the Thunderbirds, 86-83 behind a last-second layup in Cedar City, Utah. MSU forced a turnover and scored on a fast-break layup, converting an and-one opportunity for the win.
RaeQuan Battle is second in the Big Sky and 57th in the country with 18.4 points per game, recording five games with at least 20 points. He scored a season-high 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting Nov. 20 against North Dakota. Darius Brown II is second in the conference and 32nd in the country with 5.5 assists per game.
Montana State averages 70.9 points per game on 44.6 percent shooting from the field and 30.9 percent from 3-point range. The Bobcats pull down 34.8 rebounds per game while allowing their opponents to 31.8.
NET Ranking
St. Thomas enters the week ranked 130th of 363 teams in the NCAA Evaluation Tool Ranking, second among all Summit League teams. Only Oral Roberts is ranked highest than St. Thomas at 70.
The Tommies have played two games against top 32 teams (Utah, 19th/Creighton, 32nd) and have wins against Troy (121) and Milwaukee (158).
Above .500
The Tommies have shot above 50 percent from the field in six of their seven wins this season. In addition, the Purple shot exactly 42.9 percent from 3-point range in wins over Chicago State, St. Francis Brooklyn, and Troy. St. Thomas has hit at least 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range during four of the last six games.
St. Thomas has totaled five games shooting at least 50 percent from the floor this season after recording six such games last season. The Tommies were 5-1 in those games last season.
The Tommies are tied for 14th in the country shooting 50.1 percent from the field this season.
From the Parking Lot
St. Thomas' 3-point shooting has been on display in recent years, and this season is no different. The Tommies sank a season-high 17 3-point field goals against Merrimack on Nov. 19, totaling the Warriors' rebound total in the game.
The St. Thomas program record for 3-pointers in a game was 15 from 1992-2018. Since 2018, the Tommies have made at least 17 3-pointers in a game on 16 occasions. The current program record is 22, set twice during the 2021-22 season against Northland and North Central.
St. Thomas hit 10 3-pointers against North Central and Crown, marking the fourth and fifth instances of double-digit long balls over the last six games. The Tommies are currently tied for 36th nationally with 9.6 3-pointers per game.
Head in the Clouds
St. Thomas played four of a five game stretch at high altitude, three at the Zootown Classic (Nov. 17-19) in Missoula Mont, (3,209') and Nov. 26 at Utah (4,226'). After a two-game homestand Nov. 29 and Dec. 3, St. Thomas will close its non-conference road schedule at even higher elevation. The Purple will play Montana State Dec. 8 in Bozeman, Mont., (4,793') and Idaho State Dec. 10 in Pocatello, Idaho (4,462'). As part of the Summit League schedule, St. Thomas will also travel to Denver, Colo., Feb. 4 to take on Denver at its highest elevation (5,279').
Reaching the Peak for the First Time
Riley Miller became the first Tommie to earn the TicketSmarter Summit League Peak Performer of the Week on Nov. 21 following his performance at the Zootown Classic.
Zootown Classic
Riley Miller led St. Thomas with 16.7 points per game on 43.3 percent shooting from the field (13-30) and 46.4 percent from 3-point range (13-28). He also went a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line while playing 32.2 minutes per game.
Andrew Rohde's performance at the Zootown Classic was highlighted by the game-winning basket to lift St. Thomas over Troy. He tied Miller for a team-high 16 points against the Trojans, including shooting 7-of-7 from the free throw line, with three 3-pointers, two assists and one block.
Miller and Rohde were both selected to the Zootown Classic All-Tournament Team.
The 38th Member of the Club
Riley Miller entered the 2022-23 season 27 points shy of 1,000 for his career. After scoring 13 points against No. 9 Creighton in the season opener, he scored 15 against Chicago State to hit the milestone. He became the 38th Tommie all-time to reach the mark, sinking the first of two free throws with 10:22 to play against the Cougars.
Miller began his Tommie career with 145 points as a freshman and 247 as a sophomore before further increasing his scoring average with 133 points in just seven games during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. Miller totaled nearly half of his career scoring total last season with 448 points while 723 of his career total have come behind the 3-point line.
Miller is the first Tommie to reach 1,000 career points since guard Anders Nelson during the 2020-21 season.
The 3-Point Veteran
Riley Miller surpassed 100 made 3-pointers last season and is at 241 made on his 104-game career. He made 103 treys as he converted 41 percent behind the arc last season. Miller was one of just four D-I shooters to make 100 or more threes and convert at 40 percent or better behind the arc.
His nine 3-pointers against Merrimack this season set a new career-high and was one shy of tying the program single-game record, set by Curt Kietzer with 10 in 1987. It's also the second-best 3-point performance in NCAA D-I this season.
Miller leads the nation with 36 total 3-pointers and leads the Summit League and ranks sixth nationally with 3.6 3-point field goals per game. He also leads the league and is tied for 32nd in the country shooting 46.2 percent from long range and is seventh with 14.2 points per game.
Freshmen Leading the Way
Andrew Rohde has led the Tommies in scoring during four of 10 games this season and is second on the team scoring 13.7 points per game, which also ranks eighth in the Summit League. He has a team-high 54 field goals made and 3.8 assists per game.
Rohde scored 20 points during the Nov. 13 win over St. Francis Brooklyn, becoming the first Tommie freshman to score at least 20 points in a game since Anders Nelson recorded six games with at least 20 points in 2018-19.
Kendall Blue leads the bench with 8.4 points per game on 46.9 percent shooting. He has scored double-digit points in five of the last eight games, including a career-high 15 against St. Francis Brooklyn. Blue made his first career start Nov. 29 versus North Central.
NCAA DI Recruiting Class: Part Two
After bringing in Ben Nau and Ryan Dufault during the 2021 Tommie Signing Class, the 2022 class was bumped up to four with the additions of Carter Bjerke (6-9, F), Kendall Blue (6-6, G), Ahjany Lee (6-9, F) and Andrew Rohde (6-6, G).
The 2022 class was ranked number 52 of 368 schools according to Rivals.com. Additionally, only three of the top 50 ranked classes were mid-major schools.
Opponents Across the Country
St. Thomas will face programs from across eight conferences, outside of the Summit League: Big East (Creighton), Big Sky (Montana, Montana State), Horizon (Milwaukee, Green Bay), NEC (St. Francis Brooklyn, Merrimack), Pac 12 (Utah), Sun Belt (Troy), UMAC (Crown, North Central), WAC (Chicago State).
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas Men's Basketball, follow along on Twitter at @TommieMBBall and on Instagram at @TommieHoops
Join Us
To reserve your seat to be a part of the Tommies' 2022 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.
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