Bjorklund scores 20 points as Tommies fall in Omaha, 69-65

OMAHA, Neb. -- Graduate student Parker Bjorklund totaled 20 points while fellow grad student Raheem Anthony and senior Drake Dobbs each scored 14 points with four assists, but St. Thomas fell at Omaha 69-65 on Thursday night in Baxter Arena.

Bjorklund has scored at least 20 points in two of the last three games after scoring a career high 32 Jan. 25 as he finished shooting 7-of-13 Thursday against UNO. It is his sixth 20-point game this season and the 16th of his career.

The Tommies overcame an 11-point deficit in the first half after finishing the game 51.1 percent shooting overall (23-45), 36.4 percent from long range (8-22) and 52.4 percent from the free throw line (11-21). The Purple limited Omaha to 3-of-14 shooting from beyond the arc but the Mavericks shot 53.1 percent overall (26-49) with 40 points in the paint.

RECAP
The Tommies responded to an early 6-2 Mavericks lead as Bjorklund made a 3-pointer and a turn-around jumper to narrow the gap to 8-7. A pair of layups from Anthony and sophomore Ahjany Lee gave St. Thomas its first lead of the night, 11-10, near the midway mark of the opening half.

Omaha answered with a 10-0 run on 4-of-4 shooting, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range, while St. Thomas went 0-of-3 from the field and 0-of-2 from long range during that stretch. Following a free throw and layup from senior Drake Dobbs to snap the run, UNO went on a quick 5-0 run for a game-high 11-point lead, 30-19.

Towards the end of the first half, the Tommies made a late push, sinking four 3-pointers over the final 2:26 to pull within one possession. Grad student Brooks Allen hit back-to-back 3-pointers, his first points of the game, to end the first half as Omaha led going into halftime, 33-31.

Both teams traded scores to start the second half but St. Thomas was only able to put in five points over the first five minutes. After back-and-forth play for nearly four minutes, Bjorklund scored four straight points to bring the Tommies within one to start a 12-1 run.

Dobbs found sophomore Kendall Blue on a cutting drive for a dunk to tie the game, 48-48, before back-to-back 3-pointers from Dobbs gave the Purple a six-point advantage with 7:41 to play. Omaha scored eight of the next 10 points to tie the game again.

Anthony sank two free throws at the one minute mark to keep the game tied before UNO put in a jumper with 32 seconds left to lead, 66-64. Following a missed shot from St. Thomas, UNO sank two free throws to essentially seal the game.

TOP TOMMIES

Grad student Parker Bjorklund led all Tommies with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, marking his sixth 20-point game of the season and 16th of his career. He chipped in three rebounds and went 2-of-3 from 3-point range.
Grad student Raheem Anthony played his 100th career collegiate game Thursday night, starting all 100 including 78 at Saint Mary's. He scored 14 points, his ninth game with at least 14 this season, on 5-of-9 shooting with a team high six rebounds along with four assists and one steal. Thursday marked his sixth game this season with at least four assists.
Senior Drake Dobbs scored 14 points, his eighth game with at least 14 points this season, along with four assists, his sixth game with at least four assists.

QUOTEABLES
Head Coach Johnny Tauer on coming back from an 11-point deficit to lead during Thursday's loss:
"I thought our guys battled really hard. Omaha's got one of the best scorers around. They've got great size and quickness. We dug ourselves an 11-point hole, which is not acceptable, and fought like crazy for the next 25 minutes. We took a six-point lead and to their credit, Omaha made some really big shots down the line.

"Winning on the road is hard. You've got to be 10 points better on the road. You've got to make free throws. We didn't come away with a win although I thought our guys battled. We've got a quick turnaround to play a really tough Kansas City team Saturday."

UP NEXT
St. Thomas travels to Kansas City, Mo., to take on Kansas City at 7 p.m. Saturday for the season series finale.

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-- St. Thomas Athletics --

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Team Stats

Parker Bjorklund

Drake Dobbs

Raheem Anthony

Brooks Allen

Players Mentioned

Brooks Allen

Raheem Anthony

Parker Bjorklund

Kendall Blue

Drake Dobbs

Ahjany Lee