University of St. Thomas Athletics
Omaha
Men's Basketball embarks on a road trip to the Cornhusker State and Mile-High City
2/1/2023 2:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
St. Thomas Men's Basketball takes to the road for its second-to-last road trip of the regular season as the Tommies head to Omaha to face the Mavericks before heading to face the Pioneers.
The Tommies are 3-0 all-time against the Mavericks - a season ago, in St. Thomas' first Summit League game, it defeated Omaha 80-73 for the program's first conference win.
Earlier this season, the Tommies defeated Omaha at home, 80-68 on Sat., Jan 7 after falling to Denver, 81-71 48 hours earlier.
The Tommies, the league's third ranked offense (74.0 points per game) face the league's eighth ranked offense in Omaha (68.1 points per game) on Thursday and the league's fourth ranked offense in Denver (73.3 points per game) on Saturday.
Freshman standout, Andrew Rohde leads the Tommies with 15.4 points per game, while grad students Parker Bjorklund and Riley Miller average 14.1 and 12.5 points per game, respectively.
All of the St. Thomas Men's Basketball games are called by the voice of the Tommies, Corbu Stathes. The broadcasts can be heard live on skornorth.com/listen or by tuning your radio dial to 1500 am in the Twin Cities area.
Summit League Standings
With a 5-6 record conference play and a 14-10 overall record, St. Thomas sits in 6th in the Summit League standings.
Heading into this week's series, the Tommies could jump into the top-half of the standings with a pair of wins.
Last Time Out
The Tommies fell to the University of South Dakota 81-67 falling to 14-10 on the season and 5-6 in Summit League action. The Coyotes improved to 10-12 on the season and 4-5 in the Summit.
Freshman Andrew Rohde got the scoring started as both teams went scoreless for nearly three minutes before Rohde's three.
After one of his best games at the collegiate level, freshman Ahjany Lee once again provided a spark off the bench for the Purple. Lee started a flurry of blocks, blocking two shots himself in addition to senior Brooks Allen recording a pair of blocks on the same possession.
Freshman Kendall Blue snapped a scoring streak by the Yotes with an old-fashioned three-point play to cut the USD lead to six, 32-26 with 1:20 remaining in the first half. It marked the game's first free-throw and the lone shot from the charity stripe in the first 20 minutes. The Coyotes took a 35-26 lead into intermission.
St. Thomas was limited to a 3-of-11 showing from behind the arc in the first half and 11-of-29 from the field in the first half. Freshman Andrew Rohde led all scoring with 13 first-half points.
The Tommies started the second half on an 8-0 run to start the second half cutting the USD lead to one point, 35-34 before knotting it up at 37-37 with 16 minutes to play. Grad Student Parker Bjorklund scored all 11-straight points to start the second half.
A pair of free throws from Blue gave St. Thomas its first lead of the second half, 39-37 with just over 15 minutes to play.
With the Tommies down six, 62-56, with six minutes to play before getting within three points before the Yotes pushed their lead to seven, 66-59 with four minutes remaining. The Tommies were unable to complete the comeback, falling by a score of 81-67.
Bjorklund and Rohde combined for 50 points with the grad student scoring 26 and the freshman matching his career-best 24 points. Bjorklund entered the game with 12 career-made three pointers before connecting on 5-of-7 attempts from deep tonight. Rohde added four three-pointers while the rest of the team missed a combined 14 threes. Blue added five points, four rebounds and two blocks.
The Tommies connected on 39 percent (22-of-56) of their shots from the field and 30 percent (9-of-30) from behind the arc. The Purple forced 12 USD turnovers. St. Thomas posted a Division 1 era record seven blocks in the game.
After a combined 10 fouls and one free throw attempt in the first half, the two teams combined for 30 second-half fouls and 37 second-half free throws.
About Omaha
Omaha returns to its home court at Baxter Arena after taking the last four games on the road. The Mavericks host the Tommies of St. Thomas for their second meeting of the season. Tipoff is 7 p.m. Thursday as Omaha looks to even the series.
• Omaha looks to earn its fourth league win Thursday after falling in close games to Kansas City and Oral Roberts last week.
• The Mavericks nearly upset the Golden Eagles and their perfect home record. Omaha held the lead with 3:36 left in the game before ORU used a 10-0 run to capture the win.
• Despite the loss, Frankie Fidler and Marquel Sutton put on top-notch performances for the Mavericks. Fidler recorded his third double-double of the year with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Sutton added 17 points.
• Against the Golden Eagles, Luke Jungers made his first career start. He was one of three freshmen in the starting line-up.
• Thursday's game at Kansas City came down to the final possession before Omaha fell by three.
• Fidler and Tony Osburn scored 12 points each and were the lone Mavericks in double-figures. Fidler nearly had a double-double with seven rebounds.
• Omaha still ranks 11th in the nation with a 77-8 free throw percentage. Fidler ranks 18th in the country shooting 89.1 percent from the line.
• The Mavericks have climbed the ranks in the league and rank fifth overall in three-point field goal percentage at 34.1 percent.
• In league play, Jungers is tied ninth averaging 2.1 three-pointers made per game.
• Fidler is also ranked as a conference leader in scoring. Through the 11 games, he is averaging 14.7 ppg sitting 11th in the ranks.
• Two double-doubles against league opponents has also helped Fidler's rebounding average in league play. He ranks fifth with 6.7 rpg.
• Sharing the ball hasn't been an issue for JJ White this season. Overall he's averaging 4.1 apg and averages 4.2 in conference action. Both of which rank in the league's top-four.
• Head coach Chris Crutchfield has a 17-25 overall record. It marks his second season as a head coach and first with the Mavericks.
Digging into Denver
The University of Denver men's basketball team begins February with a pair of home games. First up, a second meeting with Western Illinois on Thursday at 7 p.m. MT that can be seen on Altitude 2.
• The Pioneers average 73.3 points per game this year, fourth in the Summit League.
• Denver is allowing 76.4 points per game this season, 10th in the Summit League.
• DU shoots 49.1 percent from the field in 2022-23, first the Summit League and 10th in the NCAA.
• Denver is holding opponents to 45.5 percent shooting, seventh in the Summit League.
• The Crimson and Gold rank first in the Summit League at getting to the line, attempting 24.1 free throws per game, 12th in the NCAA.
• Denver is making 16.9 free throws per game, first in the Summit League and 13th in the NCAA.
• The Pioneers rank third in the Summit League in 3-point defense, allowing just a 32.9 percent make rate.
• Tommy Bruner ranks seventh in the Summit League in scoring, putting up 16.5 points per game.
• Tommy Bruner ranks second in the league in assists, handing out 4.2 per game.
• Tommy Bruner ranks seventh in the Summit League in free throw percentage at 84.7 percent.
• Tyree Corbett (8.3) ranks first in the Summit League in rebounds per game.
• Tyree Corbett's six double-doubles lead the Summit League.
• Justin Mullins ranks fourth in the Summit League in steals per game with a 1.5 average.
Above .500
The Tommies have shot above 50 percent from the field in nine of their 13 wins this season. In addition, the Purple shot exactly 42.9 percent from 3-point range in wins over Chicago State, St. Francis Brooklyn, Troy, and North Dakota. St. Thomas has hit at least 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range in eight of its 15 games.
St. Thomas has totaled nine games shooting at least 50 percent from the floor this season after recording six such games last season. The Tommies are 9-0 in those games this season compared to 5-1 in those games a season ago.
From the Parking Lot
St. Thomas' 3-point shooting has been on display in recent years, and this season is no different. The Tommies sank a season-high 17 3-point field goals against Merrimack on Nov. 19, totaling the Warriors' rebound total in the game.
The St. Thomas program record for 3-pointers in a game was 15 from 1992-2018. Since 2018, the Tommies have made at least 17 3-pointers in a game on 16 occasions. The current program record is 22, set twice during the 2021-22 season against Northland and North Central.
St. Thomas has recorded double digit 3-pointers during seven of its 23 games and sank at least nine in 12 games.
Climbing the Summit
In just its second year of Division I and Summit League membership, St. Thomas tipped off conference with wins against UND and NDSU before falling at USD and SDSU. The Tommies rank the conference's top-5 in numerous standings and has a handful of players in the individual statistical category top-10. Below are rankings and statistics through Feb. 1. These stats and rankings include totals from all 24 of the Tommies 2022-23 season.
Rank Category Stat
Team
2nd Free Throw Percentage 78.7 percent
2nd Assist to Turnover Ratio 1.27 assist/turnover ratio
2nd Scoring Margin +3.9 points per game
2nd Turnover Margin 1.96
3rd Scoring Offense 74.0 points per game
3rd 3-point FG Percentage 35.9 percent
3rd Assists 12.9 per game
3rd Scoring Defense 70.2 points allowed per game
3rd Steals 6.21 per game
4th 3-point FGs Made 8.8 per game (210 total)
5th Team FG Percentage 45.2 percent
Individual
1st 3-point FG Percentage R. Miller, 41.8 percent
2nd Free Throw Percentage R. Miller, 92.2 percent
3rd 3-point FGs Made Per Game R. Miller, 2.9 made 3pt FG per game
4th Assist to Turnover Ratio A. Rohde, 1.8 assist to turnover ratio
2nd Steals A. Rohde, 1.5 steals per game
6th Field Goal Percentage A. Rohde, 43.1 percent
5th Assists Per Game A. Rohde, 3.7 assists per game
8th Scoring A. Rohde, 15.4 points per game
8th Steals B. Allen, 1.3 steals per game
10th Minutes A. Rohde, 31.9 minutes per game
10th Blocked Shots A. Lee, 0.7 per game
Reaching the Peak
Riley Miller became the first Tommie to earn the TicketSmarter Summit League Peak Performer of the Week on Nov. 21 following his performance at the Zootown Classic. Riley Miller led St. Thomas with 16.7 points per game on 43.3 percent shooting from the field (13-30) and 46.4 percent from 3-point range (13-28). He also went a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line while playing 32.2 minutes per game.
Just over a month later, fellow grad student Park Bjorklund earned TicketSmarter Summit League Peak Performer of the Week on Dec. 27 after a pair of career games helping the Tommies to a 2-0 start in conference action. Bjorklund scored a career-high 29 points in the team's first conference game of the year against North Dakota and followed up with a 19-point effort against North Dakota State to help the Tommies to a 2-0 start in conference action. The Chaska, Minn., native averaged 24 points per game over the first series of Summit League action, connected on 66 percent (21-of-32) from the field, and averaged 4.5 rebounds per game.
Zootown Classic
In addition to Miller's award winning performance, freshman Andrew Rohde's performance at the Zootown Classic was highlighted by the game-winning basket to lift St. Thomas over Troy. He tied Miller for a team-high 16 points against the Trojans, including shooting 7-of-7 from the free throw line, with three 3-pointers, two assists and one block.
Miller and Rohde were both selected to the Zootown Classic All-Tournament Team.
Head in the Clouds
St. Thomas played four of a five game stretch at high altitude, three at the Zootown Classic (Nov. 17-19) in Missoula Mont, (3,209') and Nov. 26 at Utah (4,226'). After a two-game homestand Nov. 29 and Dec. 3, St. Thomas will close its non-conference road schedule at even higher elevation. The Purple played Montana State Dec. 8 in Bozeman, Mont., (4,793') before taking on Idaho State Dec. 10 in Pocatello, Idaho (4,462'). As part of the Summit League schedule, St. Thomas will also travel to Denver, Colo., Feb. 4 to take on Denver at its highest elevation (5,279').
The 38th Member of the Club
Riley Miller entered the 2022-23 season 27 points shy of 1,000 for his career. After scoring 13 points against No. 9 Creighton in the season opener, he scored 15 against Chicago State to hit the milestone. He became the 38th Tommie all-time to reach the mark, sinking the first of two free throws with 10:22 to play against the Cougars.
Miller began his Tommie career with 145 points as a freshman and 247 as a sophomore before further increasing his scoring average with 133 points in just seven games during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. Miller totaled nearly half of his career scoring total last season with 448 points while 822 of his 1,273 of his career points have come behind the 3-point line.
The 3-Point Veteran
Riley Miller surpassed 100 made 3-pointers last season and is at 274 made in his 118-game career, 23 shy of the St. Thomas all-time record set by Bryan Schnettler from 2004-07 (297). Miller made 103 treys as he converted 41 percent behind the arc last season. He was one of just four D-I shooters to make 100 or more threes and convert at 40 percent or better behind the arc.
His nine 3-pointers against Merrimack this season set a new career-high and was one shy of tying the program single-game record, set by Curt Kietzer with 10 in 1987. It's also the second-best 3-point performance in NCAA D-I this season.
Freshmen Leading the Way
Andrew Rohde has led the Tommies in scoring in 11 of his 22 games played this season and leads the team scoring 15.4 points per game, which ranks first among all Summit League freshmen and eighth overall. He has a team-high 122 field goals made and 3.7 assists per game.
Rohde scored 20 points during the Nov. 13 win over St. Francis Brooklyn, becoming the first Tommie freshman to score at least 20 points in a game since Anders Nelson recorded six games with at least 20 points in 2018-19. Rohde followed up with a career-high 22 points Dec. 8 at Montana State and recorded nine rebounds, becoming the first Tommie with at least 20 points and nine rebounds since Connor Bair with 26 points and 11 rebounds on Feb. 9, 2019 and the first freshman to do so since at least 2012-13. Rohde had his third 20-plus point outing in the Tommies first Summit League road game at USD when he scored 22 points and posted a DI era freshman scoring record with 24 points in a win over Omaha and again against South Dakota.
Kendall Blue ranks fifth on the team with 8.5 points per game on 45.3 percent shooting. Blue has scored double-digit points in 12 games, including a career-high 15 against St. Francis Brooklyn and North Dakota State. Blue made his first career start Nov. 29 versus North Central.
Ahjany Lee has made four starts in 23 games this season, his first on Nov. 13 versus St. Francis Brooklyn. He set career highs of 14 points against Chicago State and and eight rebounds Dec. 31. Lee leads the team with 17 blocks on the season, ranks sixth on the team with 5.0 points per game and tied for second in rebounding, averaging 4.1 boards per game.
NCAA DI Recruiting Class: Part Two
After bringing in Ben Nau and Ryan Dufault during the 2021 Tommie Signing Class, the 2022 class was bumped up to four with the additions of Carter Bjerke (6-9, F), Kendall Blue (6-6, G), Ahjany Lee (6-9, F) and Andrew Rohde (6-6, G).
The 2022 class was ranked number 52 of 368 schools according to Rivals.com. Additionally, only three of the top 50 ranked classes were mid-major schools.
