University of St. Thomas Athletics
North Dakota
Game Notes - Men’s Basketball faces North Dakota in second-of-three home games in five-day span
2/9/2022 3:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
St. Paul - Minn. - The St. Thomas Men's Basketball Team returns to the friendly confines of Schoenecker Arena for three home games in a five-day stretch continuing with North Dakota on Thursday night.
Through the first 23 games of the season, St. Thomas has three scorers averaging double-digits, led by the senior duo G Riley Miller (15.5) and G Anders Nelson (15.3). Miller is shooting 40 percent from behind the arc, connecting on 81-of-202 three point attempts. Nelson leads the team with 353 points and has dished out a team-best 72 assists this season. Senior F Parker Bjorklund (13.2 points per game) rounds out the top scorers for the Purple.
As a team, the Tommies are averaging 75.1 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 301 assists and committed only 192 turnovers.
Corbu Stathes will call the game live from Skor North radio, on 1500 a.m.
Turning Back the Clock
It has been a long time since UND and St. Thomas last squared off, going all the way back to Dec. 27, 1962, when the Tommies came away with a 73-66 overtime victory. On Dec. 27, 1962, the No. 1 movie at the box office was Mutiny on the Bounty, the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 was "Telstar" by The Tornados, and John F. Kennedy was the President of the United States.
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 (81). Miller has made 81-of-202 three-point attempts this season and averages 15.5 points per contest.
Findings on the Fighting Hawks
In the Fighting Hawks most recent game, Paul Bruns buried a deep triple to put North Dakota up 80-67 with 2:30 left, and the Fighting Hawks went 10-of-14 at the charity stripe in the final minutes to defeat Omaha by a tally of 92-85 on Saturday afternoon inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. In the game, UND shot 50.9 percent and scored 14 three-pointers, while also finishing 20-of-27 at the free throw line. The Fighting Hawks held a 34-33 edge in rebounds and a 31-18 advantage in bench scoring.
Bruns was the top scorer for NoDak with 21 points, pouring in 16 points in the second half alone. He also finished 5-of-6 at the charity stripe. Ethan Igbanugo was next for UND with 17 points, including eight made free throws. Tsotne Tsartsidze and Bentiu Panoam each put in 15 points, while Caleb Nero was the final Hawk to net double figures with 12 points.
As a team, North Dakota ranks fifth in the conference in rebounds per game (35.9) and is fifth in total rebounds (897) this season. When it comes to being aggressive on the offensive glass, NoDak shines with 271 boards to sit second in league play. The only team in the Summit League with more offensive boards this season is Western Illinois with 289.
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.
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 (8-15, 2-10) faced Kansas City (16-9, 9-4) for the second time in five days. The Tommies led for over 24 minutes of the game but fell by a score of 76-67 in a physical game in Schoenecker Arena.
Through the first 10 minutes of play, St. Thomas opened up 16-9 lead with just over 10 minutes played. The Purple's first 16 points came by way of two old-fashioned three-point plays, but the team did not connect on a tradition three pointer.
The Roos responded with a 7-0 run to cut the St. Thomas lead to 16-15, before a pair of free throws from senior G Riley Miller pushed the lead to 18-15. Kansas City responded with the game's first made three pointer by either team, which opend the flood gates for threes with the Purple making their next two three-point attempts pushing the lead to 24-20 with 6:08 to play in the first half.
Kansas City opened its first lead of the game with 3:15 to play in the first half, 28-27. The Roo lead short lived, Junior F Brooks Allen made driving layup, giving the lead back to the Tommies. St. Thomas took a 32-30 lead into intermission.
Grad student G Ryan Lindberg led the scoring efforts with a team-best 16 points in the first half, connecting on 6-of-8 of his shots from the field, including a 3-of-5 showing from deep. Miller added seven points in the first half.
As a team, St. Thomas connected on 44 percent (12-of-27) of its shots from the field and 36 percent (4-of-11) from behind the arc. The Roos committed 10 first-half penalties, but St. Thomas was only able to connect on 4-of-8 of its attempts from the charity stripe in the first 20 minutes of play. The Purple defense limited the Roos to a 42 percent shooting effort from the field, including a 14 percent (1-of-7) showing from deep.
Through the first eight minutes of the second half, the two teams exchanged blows with St. Thomas holding a 43-42 lead with 11:51 to play. Over the next nine minutes of game time, Kansas City went on a 24-16 run to open up a 66-59 lead with 2:17 to play, their largest lead of the game.
The Tommies battled through the final two minutes of the contest and a last-ditch effort by St. Thomas put the Roos at the free throw line where they were able to earn the 76-67 win.
Individually, Lindberg led the way with 19 points, connecting on 7-fo-10 shots from the field including 4-of-6 from behind the arc. Miller finished with 14 points on the night and senior G Anders Nelson rounded out the top scorers with 10 points.
As a team, St. Thomas connected on 40 percent (22-of-55) of its shots from the field, 28 percent (7-of-25) from behind the arc and hauled in 33 rebounds.
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 23 games into their D-I tenure, averaging 75 points per game, 11.7 made three-point shots per game and 8.3 turnovers per game.
He's the Coach
Dr. Johnny Tauer's has an overall record of 226-64 23 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 8-13 record with a 2-7 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 23 games with one start...averages 19 minutes per game, 5.2 points per game and 1.8 rebounds each contest...D-III: played in 49 games totaling 160 points
No. 2 Ben Nau: Freshman guard...2021-22: Played in all 23 games...averages 10.8 minutes per game and on average, contributes 3.1 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 23 games...averages 29.6 minutes per game...averages 15.5 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 17 games he's played...averages 25.7 minutes per game played...contributes an average of 13.2 points per game in addition to 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 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 22 games he's played this season...averages a team-high 32.0 minutes per contest...averages 15.5 points per game...shoots 40 percent from behind the arc...has a 2.2 assist to turnover ration through 22 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 23 games...averages 7.3 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 23 games...averages 30.5 minutes per contest...averages 8.6 points and 1.3 assists per game...through 23 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 23 games with six starts...averages 22.3 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 seven games for the Tommies...averages 5.3 points and 2.0 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
