University of St. Thomas Athletics
Thursday, February 24
St. Paul, Minn.
7:00 p.m.
9-20,3-14Summit League
80
vs
91
Denver
10-20,6-11Summit League
1
2
F
Denver
29
62
91
St. Thomas (MN)
31
49
80
Men’s Basketball can’t overcome an unreal second half by Denver
2/24/2022 9:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
St. Paul, Minn. – The St. Thomas Men's Basketball Team (9-20, 3-14) can't overcome an unreal second half by Denver (10-20, 6-11) in which it shot a blistering 21-of-26 (81 percent) from the field and an equally impressive 89 percent (8-of-9) from behind the arc propelling the Pioneers to a 91-80 win.
"I thought our guys compete really well in the first half against an outstanding offensive attack of Denver," said Head Coach Dr. Johnny Tauer. "The second half, they were incredibly efficient – some of that was a function of break downs on our part, but a lot of it is credit to their offensive schemes and their players' ability to both penetrate and shoot at a really high rate. While disappointed with the outcome, I thought our guys battled until the end."
The Tommies scored first in a tightly contested first half. Denver led by as many as three points, 12-9 with 11:33 to play in the half before the Tommies went on a 10-2 run to open their largest lead of the game, five points, 19-14 with 7:58 remaining in the half.
The Purple would lead by five on several occasions throughout the final eight minutes of the first half but would ultimately take a 31-29 lead into intermission.
St. Thomas held a two-point lead after the first half despite connecting on only three three-point attempts, the Purple shot 25 percent (3-of-12) from deep. As a whole, the Tommies connected on 39 percent (10-of-26) from the field. St. Thomas held a 16-11 rebound advantage through the first 20 minutes of play.
Senior F Parker Bjorklund led the team in scoring, pouring in 10 first-half points on a 4-of-5 shooting effort from the field, including a three-point make and a huge dunk to swing the momentum back in the Tommies favor late in the first half.
The Pioneers outscored the Tommies 19-11 through the first seven minutes of the second half to open a 48-42 lead with 13:07 to play. In that run, Denver connected on 8-of-8 shots from the field, including 1-of-1 from deep and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe.
Denver missed two shots in the first 15 minutes of the second half and each time they got the offensive rebound. With 4:56 to play, Denver owned a 77-66 lead and St. Thomas was unable to come within six points of the Pioneers down the stretch, falling by a score of 91-80
As a team, St. Thomas shot 48 percent (29-of61) from the field and 39 percent (11-of-28) from behind the arc. The Tommies had a strong second-half showing, connecting on 54 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc in the final 20 minutes, but it didn't match the Pioneers' incredible second-half shooting performance.
Individually, junior F Brooks Allen led the team in scoring with a career-high 22 points. He was one-of-five Tommies to reach double-figures, he was joined by senior G Anders Nelson (19), senior G Riley Miller (10), and senior F Parker Bjorklund (10).
"We're certainly excited to play at home on Saturday and finish our season honoring seven special seniors concluding this first season in NCAA Division I season. It has been historic, and I think it will go down in the history of St. Thomas Basketball as a special one," Tauer added.
The Tommies return to action for their final game of the season on Saturday as they host the University of Nebraska Omaha. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m. in the senior's final game in Schoenecker Arena.
"I thought our guys compete really well in the first half against an outstanding offensive attack of Denver," said Head Coach Dr. Johnny Tauer. "The second half, they were incredibly efficient – some of that was a function of break downs on our part, but a lot of it is credit to their offensive schemes and their players' ability to both penetrate and shoot at a really high rate. While disappointed with the outcome, I thought our guys battled until the end."
The Tommies scored first in a tightly contested first half. Denver led by as many as three points, 12-9 with 11:33 to play in the half before the Tommies went on a 10-2 run to open their largest lead of the game, five points, 19-14 with 7:58 remaining in the half.
The Purple would lead by five on several occasions throughout the final eight minutes of the first half but would ultimately take a 31-29 lead into intermission.
St. Thomas held a two-point lead after the first half despite connecting on only three three-point attempts, the Purple shot 25 percent (3-of-12) from deep. As a whole, the Tommies connected on 39 percent (10-of-26) from the field. St. Thomas held a 16-11 rebound advantage through the first 20 minutes of play.
Senior F Parker Bjorklund led the team in scoring, pouring in 10 first-half points on a 4-of-5 shooting effort from the field, including a three-point make and a huge dunk to swing the momentum back in the Tommies favor late in the first half.
The Pioneers outscored the Tommies 19-11 through the first seven minutes of the second half to open a 48-42 lead with 13:07 to play. In that run, Denver connected on 8-of-8 shots from the field, including 1-of-1 from deep and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe.
Denver missed two shots in the first 15 minutes of the second half and each time they got the offensive rebound. With 4:56 to play, Denver owned a 77-66 lead and St. Thomas was unable to come within six points of the Pioneers down the stretch, falling by a score of 91-80
As a team, St. Thomas shot 48 percent (29-of61) from the field and 39 percent (11-of-28) from behind the arc. The Tommies had a strong second-half showing, connecting on 54 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc in the final 20 minutes, but it didn't match the Pioneers' incredible second-half shooting performance.
Individually, junior F Brooks Allen led the team in scoring with a career-high 22 points. He was one-of-five Tommies to reach double-figures, he was joined by senior G Anders Nelson (19), senior G Riley Miller (10), and senior F Parker Bjorklund (10).
"We're certainly excited to play at home on Saturday and finish our season honoring seven special seniors concluding this first season in NCAA Division I season. It has been historic, and I think it will go down in the history of St. Thomas Basketball as a special one," Tauer added.
The Tommies return to action for their final game of the season on Saturday as they host the University of Nebraska Omaha. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m. in the senior's final game in Schoenecker Arena.
Team Stats
Denver
UST
FG%
.667
.475
3FG%
.611
.393
FT%
.800
.688
RB
23
27
TO
9
9
STL
2
4
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
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