Tommies surge in second half to take down Roos, 77-56

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A strong second half performance led St. Thomas men's basketball to a dominating 77-56 win against the Kansas City Roos back home at Schoenecker Arena to continue the Tommies' undefeated record in Summit League play.

Graduate student Raheem Anthony led the way for the Tommies scoring 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting including 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. He also recorded four rebounds, four assists, and one steal in an all-around performance. Three other Toms scored in double figures as sophomore Kendall Blue, senior Drake Dobbs, and graduate student Brooks Allen all eclipsed the 10-point mark. Allen also led the Toms in rebounds, grabbing eight boards to go along with four assists.

It was another strong defensive performance for St. Thomas men's basketball as they held the Kansas City Roos to just 56 points, shooting 33.9 percent (19-of-56) from the field and 22.2 percent (6-of-27) from beyond the arc including just 1-of-12 in the second half. The Roos top scorers coming into the game, Jamar Brown and Cameron Faas, who average a combined 25 points per game, were held to just a five points on 2-of-12 from the field.

RECAP
From the opening tip, the Roos and Tommies battled, trading baskets for much of the first six minutes before a 3-pointer by junior Ben Nau opened the St. Thomas lead 11-6 with 14:42 left in the half. The Roos proceeded to go on a 11-2 run over the next four minutes and were ahead 17-13 at the halfway mark of the first half. A 5-0 run by Dobbs swung momentum over towards the Tommies as he drained three free throws and a jump shot to give St. Thomas the lead back, 23-22, with five minutes left on the clock. Both teams traded baskets for the remaining of the first half until a buzzer beater 3-pointer by Brooks Allen cut the Toms deficit to one point heading into the halftime break, 33-32.

The second half was all St. Thomas as they started off the half making all four field goal attempts credited to Allen, Blue, and Anthony as the Toms started to pull away 42-36 with 17:39 left in the game. A dunk by sophomore Ahjany Lee, a three-pointer and a pair of free throws by Anthony, and a jumper by junior Ryan Dufault gave the Toms a 51-38 advantage eight minutes into the half.

From that Dufault basket onwards, it was all Tommies as they went on a 16-0 scoring run over the next seven minutes, with Blue, Anthony, and Dobbs leading the way. A 3-pointer by Ben Nau and a good ole fashioned and-one by senior Dom Martinelli ended things for St. Thomas, as they found themselves up 77-56 over the Roos to end the Summit League conference matchup.

The Tommies won the turnover margin four to the Roos' 17, with four turnovers being the lowest committed by the Toms this season. The Tommies shot 50 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from three, and won the post battle 40-22 in points scored in the paint in the victory.

TOP TOMMIES

Graduate student Raheem Anthony led the way for the Tommies scoring 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting including 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. He also recorded four rebounds, four assists, and one steal in an all-around performance.
Sophomore Kendall Blue tallied on 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while grabbing four rebounds and shooting 4-of-6 from the charity stripe.
Senior Drake Dobbs added on 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting including a perfect 3 for 3 from the free-throw line along with two assists and two steals in the victory.
Graduate student Brooks Allen added on double figures recording 10 points off 4-of-7 shooting while grabbing a team-high eight rebounds along with four assists. Allen also made 2-of-3 3-point attempts in a team high 30 minutes of play.

QUOTEABLES
Head Coach Johnny Tauer after the Sunday afternoon victory over the Kansas City Roos:
"I thought the energy our guys came out with in the second half was really inspiring, and our coaches did a great job preparing for this tough squad. We managed the clock really well going into the half, and our guys came out ready to play. I thought that second half was one of our best halves defensively and against an athletic and physical team in Kansas City that is very committed to staying on shooters is a testament to our guys being smart with the ball.

"Our guys understand their roles in different points in time, and that's what a great team does. We knew going into the contest it was going to be a physical game, and we were really locked in. The way our guards drove the ball and finished at the rim through dribble penetration was crucial and the way our offense flowed in the second half was a big part in opening up the lead."

UP NEXT
The Tommies hit the road to start the new year as they travel to Moscow, Idaho to take on the Idaho Vandals on Wednesday, January 3. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT as the Toms take on Idaho in the opening matchup of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge.

FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas Men's Basketball, follow along on X (formerly Twitter) at @TommieMBBall and on Instagram at @TommieHoops.

JOIN US
To reserve your seat to be a part of the Tommies 2023-24 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.

-- St. Thomas Athletics --

Next Event

Team Stats

Raheem Anthony

Kendall Blue

Drake Dobbs

Brooks Allen

Players Mentioned

Brooks Allen

Raheem Anthony

Kendall Blue

Drake Dobbs

Ryan Dufault

Ahjany Lee

Dom Martinelli

Ben Nau