University of St. Thomas Athletics
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Western Michigan
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Tommies stampede over Broncos in dominant victory
12/1/2023 6:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bjorklund ties season high 22 points, Nau adds 11 off the bench
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – It was a successful Friday night for Tommie Men's Basketball as they defeated the Western Michigan Broncos, 65-51, in Kalamazoo, Mich. St. Thomas built a 41-14 lead at halftime before improving to 4-4 on the season.
Parker Bjorklund led the Tommies with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting, tying a season high in points. Ben Nau came off the bench with a season high 11 points, Drake Dobbs totaled five assists and Raheem Anthony grabbed seven boards.
St. Thomas shot 48.9 percent from the floor over the first 20 minutes, knocking down 8-of-19 from 3-point range. The Tommies turned 17 Bronco turnovers into 18 points and won the rebound margin, 38-32. Western Michigan shot 39.1 percent from the floor on the night as the Purple improve to 2-0 when holding their opponents under 40 percent.
Recap
St. Thomas dominated from the get-go, storming out with a 14-2 lead fueled by aggressive defense that caused five turnovers in the opening minutes. They converted those turnovers into six points and rode a relentless style to a 23-8 advantage within the first 10 minutes. A staggering 21 of their points came from three-pointers, with a shooting accuracy of 53.8 percent from deep.
Bjorklund led the charge with 11 points early on, propelling the Tommies to a commanding 33-10 lead after a 10-0 run with six minutes left in the first half. St. Thomas' suffocating defense held the Broncos scoreless for nearly seven minutes. The Tommies closed the half with a last second three-pointer by Nau off an assist from Dobbs. St. Thomas went into halftime with a 41-14 halftime lead. Bjorklund topped the scoring charts with 17 points while the team forced 12 turnovers, limiting the Broncos to a mere 27 percent shooting in the opening half. The Tommies held the Broncos to 0-of-7 shooting from behind the arc early.
St. Thomas carried their strong defense into the second half, limiting the Broncos to just three points in the first five minutes. Western Michigan fought back defensively but struggled to narrow the gap. With a 50-24 lead and 10 minutes left, St. Thomas seemed in control, but a scoring drought allowed Western Michigan a 14-1 run, bringing the deficit to 20 points with eight minutes to go. The Tommies maintained their lead, holding a 55-38 advantage at the six-minute mark.
Both teams faced offensive struggles down the stretch, resulting in minimal scoring. Despite the back-and-forth momentum in the second half, the Tommies' early dominance secured them a hard-fought 66-51 victory.
Top Tommies
- Graduate student Parker Bjorklund led the Tommies with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting, tying his season high. He also added four rebounds and one assist.
- Junior Ben Nau chipped in a season high 11 points off the bench, including six in the first half, behind three 3-pointers.
- Senior Drake Dobbs had a team high five assists on the night. Drake also scored seven points to go with three rebounds and two steals.
- Graduate student Raheem Anthony tallied nine points along with a team-high seven rebounds and three assists.
- Redshirt freshman Carter Bjerke scored seven points on 2-of-3 shooting from behind the arc along with a season high five rebounds off the bench.
- Sophomore Kendall Blue set a season high with six rebounds and added five points.
Quotables
Head Coach Johnny Tauer on limiting Bronco Seth Hubbard (entering the game averaging 17.2 PPG):
"(Hubbard) is a prolific scorer and Kendall (Blue) started on him. (Blue)'s a sophomore, played a lot of minutes and has a high ceiling. Seeing him with confidence in his defense is great.
"Our guys executed the scouting report well. It was a physical game on the boards and we were able to gather 14 offensive rebounds of our own. I thought it was a toughness game and we were going to have to match their physicality."
Up Next
The Tommies return home for a battle against the Milwaukee Panthers at 7 p.m. CT Wednesday, Dec. 6th at Schoenecker Arena.
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--St. Thomas Athletics--
