Lafferty’s 13-13, Byhre’s 15 points propel Tommies to 100-61 win

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Freshman Ryan Lafferty recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds as St. Thomas rolled to a 100-61 victory over Crown College on Sunday afternoon at Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies have won five straight games to move to 9-4 on the season.

Lafferty's 13 rebounds is the most by a Tommie in the Division I era while he also dished out six assists. It tied for the best single-game assist performance for the Tommies this season, done three times prior.

Rich Byhre led all Tommies with a season high 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Jermaine Coleman scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, chipping in as part of 69 total bench points scored by St. Thomas.

The Tommies outscored the Polars on points off turnovers 21-0, fast break points 21-0, and on points in the paint 54-16. St. Thomas shot 54.3 percent overall compared to 35.7 percent for Crown, and won the rebound margin 40-29.

GAME RECAP
St. Thomas seized control of the game, following opening baskets by Crown, with a commanding 14-0 run that spanned until 13:28. After the Polars snapped the streak with two free throws, Byhre knocked down a 3-pointer and layup to start a 14-2 run over nearly three minutes to pull ahead by 20, 28-8, with over 10 minutes in the half. The Tommies never looked back, entering halftime with a 53-29 lead.

The second half saw the Tommies maintain their dominance, continuing to exploit Crown's struggles in the paint and capitalizing on turnovers. St. Thomas scored 8 of the first 10 points in the second half, including three baskets off Crown turnovers, for its first 30-point lead, 61-31. Coleman and Hayden Tibbits each scored nine points in the second half as the lead grew as high as 40, 100-60, coming off back-to-back dunks by Coleman.

TOMMIE TIDBITS

The Tommies are now 9-0 this season when leading at halftime and 8-0 when putting up a higher field goal percentage.
St. Thomas has had a half shooting at least 50 percent from the floor in each game of its season-best five-game winning streak.
The Tommies have recorded three "Kill Shots"—scoring runs of at least 10 points—in their last five games, including a 14-0 run against Crown.
Ryan Lafferty recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, setting a new St. Thomas Division I single-game record, and he added six assists, tying the Tommies' single-game high for the season.
Rich Byhre contributed 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting in just over 12 minutes played.
Jermaine Coleman scored a career high 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting while Ryan Dufault, Ben Nau and Hayden Tibbits each added nine points.

UP NEXT
St. Thomas begins a four-game road trip Dec. 21 as it travels to Bowling Green, Ohio to face Bowling Green.

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-- St. Thomas Athletics --

Lafferty’s 13-13, Byhre’s 15 points propel Tommies to 100-61 win

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Team Stats

Rich Byhre

Ryan Lafferty

Jermaine Coleman

Ben Nau

Players Mentioned

Rich Byhre

Jermaine Coleman

Ryan Dufault

Ryan Lafferty

Ben Nau

Hayden Tibbits

University of St. Thomas Athletics