University of St. Thomas Athletics
North Dakota State
Game Notes - Men’s Basketball completes three-game home stand against North Dakota State
2/11/2022 3:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
St. Paul - Minn. - The St. Thomas Men's Basketball Team completes their three-game home stand with three games in a five-day stretch concluding with North Dakota State on Saturday night.
Through 24 games this season, St. Thomas has three scorers averaging double-digits, led by the senior duo G Riley Miller (15.4) and G Anders Nelson (15.2). Miller is shooting 40 percent from behind the arc, connecting on 82-of-207 three point attempts. Nelson leads the team with 365 points and has dished out a team-best 74 assists this season. Senior F Parker Bjorklund (13.1 points per game) rounds out the top scorers for the Purple.
As a team, the Tommies are averaging 74.9 points per game and connecting on 44 percent of their shots from the field and 37 percent from behind the arc. Additionally, St. Thomas has dished out 307 assists and committed only 197 turnovers.
Corbu Stathes will call the game live from Skor North radio, on 1500 a.m.
Snippets from the first game against the Bison
Despite career-highs from junior F Brooks Allen (18) and sophomore G Dom Martinelli (10), the Tommies couldn't overcome a 33 percent shooting effort from the field against the Bison's strong shooting night in which they shot 56 percent from the field. The Tommies efforts fell short against NDSU, falling by a score of 77-56.
Historic Season
After 112 seasons as a small-college, NAIA and Division III men's basketball program, St. Thomas started its Division I era at Chicago State. The Cougars topped the Tommies and spoiled their D-I debut, 77-72. Four days later, St. Thomas picked up its first win as a Division I program over St. Francis College with a 91-73 score.
Best of the Best
Due to its reclassification status, St. Thomas and its student-athletes are not reflected in the NCAA's individual or team rankings, but Senior G Riley Miller would be 6th in NCAA Division I in made 3-pointers (82). Miller has made 82-of-207 three-point attempts this season and averages 15.4 points per contest.
Bits on the Bison
Sam Griesel scored 23 points and Tyree Eady added a career-high 22 to lead the North Dakota State men's basketball team to a wild 84-81 win in double overtime at Western Illinois on Thursday night.
The two teams ended regulation tied at 68-68 after WIU's Colton Sandage drained a pair of free throws with 20 seconds left. Sandage led the Leathernecks with 27 points and six three-pointers in the game. Both teams scored eight points in the first overtime period, with Eady knotting it up at 76-76 on a bucket with 32 seconds remaining.NDSU trailed 81-78 midway through the second overtime, but the Bison went on to score the final six points of the game.
As a team, the Bison are averaging 74.0 points per game and connecting on 45 percent of their shots from the field and 35 percent from behind the arc.
NDSU has four scorers averaging double-figures led by senior F Rocky Kreuser, out of Totino-Grace with 16.3 points per game.
Upper Echelon of the Conference
As the Tommies enter their first Summit League games, they are towards the top of a handful of statistic across the conference.
Below are the top-five team and individual rankings and statistics for all games by the 10 conference schools this season.
*Updated stats following Thursday's games were not available at time of publication*
Rank - Category - Stat
Team
2nd - Three-Point Field Goals Made - 11.7 per game
3rd - Free-Throw Percentage - .750
3rd - Three-Point Field Goal Percentage - .369
4th - Scoring Offense - 75.1 points per game
Individual
2nd - Three-Point Field Goals Made - R. Miller 3.7 per game
2nd - Free Throw Percentage - R. Miller, .891
2nd - Three-Point Field Goal Percentage - R. Miller, .401
4th - Assist To Turnover Ratio - A. Nelson, 1.6
4th - Three-Point Field Goals Made - R. Lindberg 2.3 per game
5th - Assists per game - A. Nelson, 3.1
Last Time Out
The St. Thomas Men's Basketball Team (8-16, 2-10) led for much of the first half, before a sluggish start to the second half ultimately was their demise, falling to the University of North Dakota (6-20, 2-11), by a score of 78-70.
The Tommies found themselves down 16 points with 5:20 to play, went on a 10-0 run to cut the Fighting Hawks lead to six points, 70-64, with 2:34 to play, but couldn't get any closer than that as UND earned the 78-70 win.
Through the first five minutes of the ball game, St. Thomas opened up a 13-8 lead, making 6-of-9 shots from the field, including a 1-of-2 showing from behind the arc and played turnover-free basketball. The Tommies led by as many as eight points, 16-8, with 14:46 to play in the first half.
The Fighting Hawks battled back and embarked on an 11-4 run to cut the Tommie lead to one point, 20-19 with just over 10 minutes to play. The two teams would each score nine points over the next four minutes of the ball game, bringing the score to 29-28 in favor of the Purple, where the score stayed for over three minutes of game time.
With 3:20 to play in the first half, North Dakota opened its first lead of the game, 30-29, which was short lived as a driving layup by sophomore Dom Martinelli returned the lead to the Tommies 30 seconds later. The final three-plus minutes of the second half featured four lead changes with the Purple taking a 36-34 lead into intermission.
The Fighting Hawks opened the half on a 9-0 lead to open up its largest lead the of the game, 43-36 with three minutes played in the second half. Grad Student G Ryan Lindberg ended the UND run with a three-point shot. Senior F Parker Bjorklund completed an old-fashioned three-point play to cut the UND lead to 45-42 with under 16 minutes to play.
Over the next five minutes of game time, UND went on a 10-2 run to open a 55-45 lead with 11:56 to play. Through the first 10 minutes of the second half, UND connected on 63 percent (-of-8) from behind the arc, while St. Thomas was only able to connect on 11 percent (1-of-9) of its shots from deep.
St. Thomas found itself down 16 points, 70-54 with 5:20 to play, before senior G Anders Nelson took over. He scored 8 points over the next three minutes of the game to propel St. Thomas on a 10-0 run to cut the UND lead to 70-64 with 2:34 to play.
The Purple couldn't cut the UND lead to less than six points, as it ultimately fell by a score of 78-70.
St. Thomas struggled shooting the ball from deep, connecting on 29 percent (7-of-24) shots from behind the arc and 43 percent (26-of-60) from the field. North Dakota had an outstanding night shooting the ball, connecting on 50 percent (14-of-28) of its shots from deep and 49 percent (27-of-55) from the field.
Four different Tommies contributed double-digit points led by senior G Riley Miller with 13 points. Nelson, (12) Bjorklund (11) and Lindberg (11) rounded out the top-scorers for the Purple. Nelson led the team with seven rebounds on the night.
Effectively Efficient
The Tommies are the only team in NCAA Men's basketball each of the past three seasons to average 80-plus points per game, fewer than 10 turnovers per game, and 10-plus made three-point shots per game.
The Purple is continuing on that trajectory 24 games into their D-I tenure, averaging 75 points per game, 11.5 made three-point shots per game and 8.2 turnovers per game.
He's the Coach
Dr. Johnny Tauer's has an overall record of 226-66 24 games into his 11th season. His first 10 Tommie teams compiled a 218-50 overall mark (.813 win clip). A two-time National Coach of the Year in D-III, Tauer guided the 2016 Toms to the D-III national championship. 21 games into the D-I era, Coach Tauer has led him team to an 8-16 record with a 2-10 record on the Summit League circuit.
Tauer's winning percentage ranks in the top five of all 1,000-plus NCAA men's head coaches – in fact he is the only NCAA men's hoops coach at any level with both an NCAA championship trophy and a winning percentage above .800.
Sports Illustrated Says
The SI preseason ranking of all 358 Division I men's teams put the Tommies at No. 274. "If you're looking for a fun story to track this year, how about St. Thomas? The Tommies are the first men's team in nearly 30 years to jump directly from D-III to D-I, becoming the second D-I program in Minnesota. Coach Johnny Tauer has a PhD in social psychology, is a tenured member of the St. Thomas faculty and runs the Princeton offense."
Last Season
The 2020-21 Tommies went 7-0 in a Covid shortened season with several highlights:
• They finished ranked No. 2 in the final Division III national poll
• They ranked second among all NCAA men's basketball teams in 2020-21 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.91)
• They averaged 83 points a game, including 12.4 made threes a contest converted at a .403 clip
• They shot 51 percent from the floor and averaged only 8.2 turnovers a game
Tommie Talk
The good news is that Tauer returns 96 percent of last season's points, rebounds and assists -- he brings back all five starters and four other contributors off the bench from the program's final season in Division III.
The flip side is that St. Thomas will likely come into this season at or near the bottom of any team list of most returning Division I points. The three transfers coming on board combined for 100 points, 56 rebounds and seven assists last season at their previous D-I teams. In all, Tauer's roster has two true freshmen, three transfers and nine returners.
The Purple's starting five coming back includes two graduate students in their fifth seasons, G-F Burt Hedstrom and G Ryan Lindberg, plus senior guards Anders Nelson and Riley Miller, and senior Parker Bjorklund. Miller made D-III All-America last season. Hedstrom made the elite CoSIDA Academic All-America team.
Here's a look at each Tommie player's career D-III stats and 2021-22 stats:
No. 1 Kevin Cunningham: Senior guard…2021-22: Played in all 24 games with one start...averages 18.9 minutes per game, 5.1 points per game and 1.7 rebounds each contest...D-III: played in 49 games totaling 160 points
No. 2 Ben Nau: Freshman guard...2021-22: Played in all 24 games...averages 10.7 minutes per game and on average, contributes 3.0 points and 1.1 rebounds per contest.
No. 3 Zach Theisen: Senior guard…2021-22: Played in 11 games...averages 1.4 points in 5.3 minutes per game...D-III: played in 47 games totaling 177 points.
No. 4 Anders Nelson: Senior guard…2021-22: Started all 24 games...averages 29.5 minutes per game...averages 15.2 points per game, has the third-best assist to turnover ratio in the league (1.6)...D-III: played 65 games totaling 1,005 points and 295 rebounds… 2019 Named to MIAC All-First-Year Team, MIAC First Team All-conference, D3hoops.com National Rookie of the Year, and West Region Rookie of the Year… 2020 repeat all-conference and second-team All-Region by both the NABC and D3Hoops.com.
No. 5 Parker Bjorklund: Senior forward…2021-22: Started all 18 games he's played...averages 25.6 minutes per game played...contributes an average of 13.1 points per game in addition to 6.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1 steal per game...Was St. Thomas student but didn't play varsity sports in freshman and sophomore seasons...D-III: started in all six of the games he played in 2020-21, scored 79 points and secured 34 total rebounds.
No. 10 Riley Miller: Senior guard…2021-22: Started all 23 games he's played this season...averages a team-high 31.9 minutes per contest...averages 15.4 points per game...shoots 40 percent from behind the arc...has a 2.2 assist to turnover ration through 23 games...D3Hoops.com All-America last season...D-III: in 65 career games made 102 baskets from 3-point range at a 45 percent clip, with a near 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio with 161 assists to go with 525 points.
No. 20 Courtney Brown, Jr.: Junior forward…2021-22: Has not appeared in a game...Transfer from UW Milwaukee, where he played 45 games in two seasons.
No. 22 Burt Hedstrom: Graduate student guard, CoSIDA Academic All-America…2021-22: Started all 24 games...averages 7.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game...D-III: in 91 career games recorded 710 points, 385 rebounds and 151 assists, with 138 made 3-pointers at a 41-percent clip.
No. 23 Will Engels: Junior forward…2021-22: Played in 16 games...averages 9.8 minutes per game and contributes 2.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest...D-III: played in 29 games totaling 156 points and securing 82 rebounds.
No. 24 Ryan Lindberg: Graduate student guard…2021-22: Started all 24 games...averages 30.6 minutes per contest...averages 8.7 points and 1.3 assists per game...through 24 games, has a 2.0 assist to turnover ration...D-III: started 72 games and in 84 career games made 144 baskets from 3-point range, and recorded 623 points, 160 rebounds, 139 assists with just 44 turnovers.
No. 31 Brooks Allen: Junior forward…2021-22: Played all 24 games with six starts...averages 22.2 minutes per contest...contributes 6.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game...D-III: played in 12 games.
No. 32 Dom Martinelli: Sophomore Guard…2021-22: Played in eight games for the Tommies...averages 5.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game...transfer from Northwestern, where he played in four games.
No. 33 Bennett Kwiecinski: Sophomore forward…2021-22: Played in eight games for the Tommies...averages 2.0 points and 1.9 rebounds per game...transfer from Siena, where he played in nine games.
Tommie Player Career Highs
#1 Kevin Cunningham: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals
#2 Ben Nau: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
#3 Zach Theisen: 14 Points, 7 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 4 Steals
#4 Anders Nelson: 42 Points, 11 Rebounds, 11 Assists, 6 Steals
#5 Parker Bjorklund: 26 Points, 12 Rebounds, 6 assists
#10 Riley Miller: 30 Points, 6 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 4 Steals
#20 Courtney Brown, Jr.: 15 Points, 8 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Steals (UW-Milwaukee)
#22 Burt Hedstrom: 18 Points, 13 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 3 Steals
#23 Will Engels: 17 Points, 9 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 3 Steals
#24 Ryan Lindberg: 24 Points, 6 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 2 Steals
#31 Brooks Allen: 16 Points, 11 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 3 Steals
#32 Dom Martinelli: 10 Points, 2 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 0 Steals (Northwestern/St. Thomas)
#33 Bennett Kwiecinski: 8 Points, 6 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal (Sienna/St. Thomas)
Unprecedented Move
St. Thomas is the first NCAA institution to move all of its athletics teams directly from Division III to D-I in one season.
Tommie teams have begun competing in four conferences across all 21 sports:
• The Summit League (18 sports)
• The Pioneer Football League
• Western Collegiate Hockey Association for women's hockey
• Central Collegiate Hockey Association for men's hockey
D-III Chapter and Tradition
• Program's all-time D-III record: 1,722-863; had third most wins of any D-III program before it moved into D-I this season
• 2 NCAA DIII championships (2011, 2016)
• 4 NCAA Division III Final Fours
• The program posted winning seasons in 40 of last 41 years
• Qualified for 14 of the last 15 NCAA Tournaments
• MIAC Champions 14 of the last 15 seasons
• Finished 1st or 2nd out of 400 D-III schools in fewest turnovers for three-consecutive seasons
• NCAA D-III Tournament appearances in 20 of last 31 seasons
• Conference regular-season champions 34 times (12 in row from 2006-2017)
• Johnny Tauer name National Coach of the Year in 2013 and 2016
• Steve Fritz named National Coach of the Year in 2011
• 47 MIAC championships (34 regular-season)
• 21 MIAC playoff appearances in row (league record), qualified 33 of 36 seasons format in place
• 4 30-win seasons since 2009
• 8 D3Hoops.com All-America honors (2002-2021)
• 6 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans
• 10 of the 31 MIAC Player of the Year honors, 16 of the 31 MIAC Coach of the Year honors
