St. Thomas nearly overcomes turnovers, falls at Oklahoma State

STILLWATER, Okla. -- St. Thomas men's basketball nearly overcame uncharacteristic turnovers Sunday afternoon but ultimately fell at Oklahoma State, 80-71, at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Tommies' first loss comes after giving away 20 turnovers that led to 20 Cowboys points in front of a crowd of 5,447 in Stillwater, Okla.

Kendall Blue recorded his second career double double with a team high 18 points and 11 rebounds as he shot 53.8 percent (7-13) overall and 57.1 percent (4-7) from long range. In total, four Tommie starters scored in double figures including Drake Dobbs with 14, Nolan Minessale with 13 and Carter Bjerke with 12.

The Tommies shot 40.3 percent (25-62) from the field, overcoming shooting 27.6 percent (8-29) in the first half, and tied the Cowboys with 37 rebounds apiece. Oklahoma State shot 45.0 percent (27-60) overall but were held to 27.3 percent (6-22) from 3-point range. The Tommies' 20 turnovers was the most for the program since totaling 22 during the 2019-20 season opener against Whitman.

GAME RECAP
The first of Bjerke's four 3-pointers came on the opening basket as Oklahoma State gave away its opening possession with one of its 10 turnovers, eight in the first half. Following free throws by OSU, Blue knocked down the first of his four 3-pointers for St. Thomas' largest lead of the game, 6-2.

Oklahoma State took its first and final lead of the game with a 17-2 run over a span of 7:23, forcing St. Thomas to miss nine field goals and give away three turnovers. Despite a 19-8 lead by the Cowboys, the Tommies put together their own 10-0 run to pull back within one, 19-18, with 6:54 in the first half. OSU answered with another run, this time of 9-0, to control the end of the first half.

The Cowboys lead bounced between single and double digits through the first six minutes of the second half until a 15-5 run pushed the lead to a game high 17, 55-38, near the 10-minute mark. St Thomas outshot Oklahoma State in the second half, 51.5 percent to 48.3 percent, but the Cowboys turned nine Tommie turnovers into 12 points, compared to two turnovers that led to four Purple points.

A pair of 3-pointers by Barnstable and one from Bjerke helped cut the deficit back to single digits, 67-58, with 4:41 to play. Oklahoma State converted two of its final three field goal attempts and sank 9-of-12 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

TOP TOMMIES

Kendall Blue led the Tommies with 18 points and notched his second career double double with 11 rebounds, 10 on the defensive end. He shot 7-of-13 from the field and 4-of-7 from 3-point range, marking his 26th game over the last 40 shooting above 50 percent from the field. Blue tied his career high with 11 rebounds, set Feb. 29, 2024 against Omaha as part of his lone career double double.
Drake Dobbs scored 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 2-of-3 from 3-point range, scoring in double figures in all three games to start the 2024-25 season. He has shot above 50 percent from the field in six of the last seven games. Dobbs led the team with four assists while he added four rebounds.
Nolan Minessale chipped in 13 points with seven rebounds, including three offensive, three blocks and three assists in a game-high 30:59 minutes played.
Carter Bjerke scored nine of his 12 points in the first half while all his baskets came on 3-pointers. He shot 4-of-8 overall and pulled down five rebounds. Sunday was his 11th career game scoring double figures.

UP NEXT
St. Thomas returns home for the final time in November on Friday the 15th as it hosts St. Norbert in Schoenecker Arena.

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

-- St. Thomas Athletics --

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Team Stats

Kendall Blue

Drake Dobbs

Nolan Minessale

Carter Bjerke

Players Mentioned

Carter Bjerke

Kendall Blue

Drake Dobbs

Nolan Minessale