Tommies win 9 of last 10, Bjorklund tops 1,000 career points Saturday

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- St. Thomas men's basketball handed the Big Sky its second loss of the inaugural Big Sky-Summit League Challenge Saturday night following a 63-50 victory over Sacramento State in St. Paul, Minn. Graduate student Parker Bjorklund surpasses 1,000 career points as the Tommies extend their winning streak to six games.

Bjorklund scored 13 points to lead the Tommies and surpassed the 1,000-point mark midway through the opening half. Fellow graduate student Raheem Anthony totaled 12 points with four rebounds and two assists while sophomore Kendall Blue added 10 points for his eighth double-digit game of the season.

The Tommies led the entire second half and majority of the first, going 20-of-47 shooting with 7-of-25 from 3-point range. Sacramento State, averaging nine 3-pointers per game entering the contest, was shut down behind the arc going just 3-of-21. The Hornets started the game 2-of-3 from beyond the arc over the first three minutes before finishing 1-of-18. St. Thomas forced 17 Sac State turnovers that led to 22 points, including 14 on fast break.

RECAP
Dobbs started the scoring early for the Tommies with a driving layup to answer a game-opening 3-pointer from Sac State. Bjorklund was able to make two free throws, brining him within one of 1,000, which then started a five-minute scoring drought for the Tommies. Junior Ben Nau knocked down the first 3-pointer of the game for the Toms, which started a 21-0 run over a span of six minutes. Nau, the only Tommie to record multiple field goals in the first half, made two more threes, followed by a three from Bjerke to force a timeout and take a 35-16 lead.

The Tommies and Hornets traded baskets over a five possession stretch early in the second half, including a driving layup from Blue and a dunk and 3-pointer from Bjorklund. Anthony, Bjorklund, Dobbs and Blue all had layups to keep the lead strong, 49-30, before a 9-2 run by Sacramento State closed the gap to 12. The Hornets again closed the gap to 11, 54-43, but a dunk by Lee energized Schoenecker Arena as the Tommies cruised to the end.

The six-game winning streak is the longest for St. Thomas during the Division I era and the longest since winning nine straight from March 6, 2020 through March 7, 2021. The last time St. Thomas won 10 straight games was Jan. 15, 2020 through Feb. 27, 2020 when it won 13 consecutive.

TOP TOMMIES

Graduate student Parker Bjorklund scored a team high 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting, including 1-of-2 from 3-point range, and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. He became the 39th member of the 1,000-point club on a layup with 8:19 to play in the first half. Bjorklund is the most recent member of the 1,000-point club since Riley Miller in November 2022, excluding current Tommie Raheem Anthony who began his St. Thomas career with over 1,000 points.
Sophomore Kendall Blue scored 10 points for his eight double digit game on the season, shooting 4-of-9 overall with one 3-pointer, along with four rebounds.
Graduate student Raheem Anthony went 7-of-8 from the free throw line and 2-of-3 from the field, including one 3-pointer, for 12 points on the night. He added four rebounds, two steals and two assists.
Junior Ben Nau sank three 3-pointers, all in the first half, to finish with nine points, two steals and two rebounds.

QUOTABLES
Head Coach Johnny Tauer on overcoming an early deficit to win its sixth straight and nine of the last 10:
"We didn't start the way we went, but I think we went 21-0 and 29-2 and I thought it was a really complete effort. I told the guys that, this to me is a game that kind of embodies our program. Nobody scored more than 13 points. We got great contributions from so many guys. A kid like Ryan Dufault only played eight minutes but he had three assists, zero turnovers and he was +17, the best plus-minus on the team tonight. Really, that is part of where this team's evolution has been is just the depth, the unselfishness, nobody cares who scores.

"Our defense over about 32 minutes in that game gave up 30 points and that's just a lot of guys caring about details, listening to scouting reports and being really tough together. I just thought it was a really complete effort against a big physical and athletic team."

UP NEXT
The Tommies go back to Summit League play at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11 at Schoenecker Arena against South Dakota State. St. Thomas' lone win against SDSU came during the most recent meeting in St. Paul.

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Team Stats

Parker Bjorklund

Raheem Anthony

Kendall Blue

Ben Nau

Players Mentioned

Raheem Anthony

Parker Bjorklund

Kendall Blue

Ryan Dufault

Riley Miller

Ben Nau