Second half defense helps St. Thomas separate in 86-71 win over ORU

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Junior Miles Barnstable's seventh 20-point game of the season along with solid second half defense helped St. Thomas men's basketball separate during its 86-71 win over Oral Roberts on Wednesday night. The Tommies (17-6, 7-1 Summit League) moved back into a share of first place in the Summit League as four players scored in double figures, led by Barnstable's 23 points.

The first half featured 10 lead changes and six ties while Oral Roberts held early momentum behind a dunk that sparked an 8-0 run at the 13:04 mark. A layup from Kendall Blue, who finished with 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting, started a 12-2 run for the Tommies to nab the lead back. The teams traded scores again before St. Thomas went into halftime with a 45-42 lead.

The lead drew to as few as two on an ORU free throw out of the halftime break followed quickly by six straight Tommie points by Barnstable. He added another basket, along with four points from Rich Byhre, as part of a 16-9 run to start the second half for its first double digit lead of the game, 61-51.

St. Thomas shot 60 percent (18-30) from the field during the second half, its ninth time doing so this season, with three 3-pointers and the other 15 field goals all coming in the paint. The Purple won the rebound margin for the second straight game, 31-23, including 16-11 over the final 20 minutes. The Tommies outscored the Golden Eagles on points off turnovers, 18-10, points in the paint, 56-28, second chance points, 16-7, and fast break points, 14-4.

TOMMIE TIDBITS

Miles Barnstable led all Tommies in scoring for the second straight game, totaling 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He added seven rebounds, his second straight game with at least seven after recording a previous season high of five twice, along with three assists and two steals. Barnstable's seventh 20-point game of the season is the most for the program since Parker Bjorklund finished with seven last season. Andrew Rohde holds the program's single-season record with 12 20-point games in 2022-23, followed by Riley Miller with nine and Anders Nelson also with seven, both in 2021-22.
Kendall Blue and Carter Bjerke finished with 13 points each on six field goals and one 3-pointer. Blue tied a career high five assists with just one turnover, while Bjerke pulled down three rebounds along with one assist and one steal.
Nolan Minessale scored 10 points, his 10th double digit game of the season, on 5-of-6 shooting. He added three rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Minessale, second in the Summit League in blocks per game, has multiple blocks in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
Drake Dobbs totaled nine points along with four assists and one turnover. He set a career high seven rebounds, including two offensive, to top his previous high of six set Jan. 27, 2024 against North Dakota.
After not winning the rebound margin over an eight-game span, the Tommies won the rebound margin for the second straight game. St. Thomas is now 9-0 when winning the rebound battle.
Oral Roberts' 29 points in the second half is the fewest allowed by St. Thomas this season, previously allowing 32 points three times.
The Tommies totaled 23 assists and five turnovers as a team for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.6, its highest ratio of the season. The previous high was 4.5 (18:4) during the team's 73-72 win over South Dakota State. Wednesday was the eighth time with single-digit turnovers and the fifth time with five or fewer this season.
St. Thomas shot at least 60 percent in a half for the ninth time this season, going 7-0 in those games.
The Purple are one of two Summit League teams undefeated at home this season, moving to 10-0 in Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies have won 14 straight games at home dating back to Feb. 8, 2024 against Oral Roberts.

UP NEXT
The Tommies return to Schoenecker Arena on Sunday, Feb. 2 to start the second half of Summit League play. St. Thomas welcomes in North Dakota State presented by Wings Credit Union for a 3 p.m. tip-off on CBS Sports Network. Sunday's game will be broadcast exclusively on CBS Sports Network.

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-- St. Thomas Athletics --

Second half defense helps St. Thomas separate in 86-71 win over ORU

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Team Stats

Miles Barnstable

Kendall Blue

Carter Bjerke

Nolan Minessale

Players Mentioned

Miles Barnstable

Carter Bjerke

Parker Bjorklund

Kendall Blue

Rich Byhre

Drake Dobbs

Nolan Minessale

University of St. Thomas Athletics