Tommies outlast Jackrabbits 73-72 in late night thriller

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Wednesday's late-night meeting between St. Thomas and South Dakota State lived up to the hype as the Tommies (13-5, 3-0 Summit League) outlasted the Jackrabbits (10-7, 1-1 Summit League) 73-72 in Schoenecker Arena in front of a crowd of 1,852.

It's the first time the Tommies have begun the Summit League season 3-0 while the win also snapped a three-game skid to the Jackrabbits. Both of St. Thomas' wins over SDSU since joining the Summit League have come in St. Paul.

Despite being outrebounded by 22 (marking the third win of the season when being outrebounded by at least 15), the Tommies totaled 18 assists to just four turnovers compared to 13 turnovers by the Jackrabbits. The difference led to 19 St. Thomas points off turnovers and just four for SDSU. The Jacks won the battle in the paint, 38-24, but the Tommies converted five more 3-pointers (13-8) and shot 39.4 percent from long range through the game.

Nolan Minessale led the Tommies in scoring for the third time this season with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with a team-best four rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. Drake Dobbs added 12 points and a team high five assists while Kendall Blue chipped in 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, with four assists.

GAME RECAP
St. Thomas answered a 7-2 opening run by South Dakota State with a 9-2 run on 3-pointers from Blue, Rich Byhre and Minessale to take its first lead of the night, 11-9. Following free throws from SDSU, the Purple went on another run of 7-2 for its largest lead of the half, 18-13.

Neither team led by more than two possessions throughout the first half as both teams traded shots down the stretch. The Jackrabbits took advantage of two missed shots by the Tommies late to go on a quick 7-0 lead for its largest lead of the half, 32-26. SDSU went on to miss back-to-back shot attempts to allow St. Thomas to a 8-1 run with five points from Minessale. The game of runs continued to end the half as SDSU went into the locker room with a 40-36 advantage.

Following a second-half-opening and-one basket by Minessale, SDSU got hot while making three of its first four field goal attempts to draw its lead to seven, 46-39. The lead grew even further four minutes later to a game-high nine, 54-45. Before trailing by double figures, Ben Oosterbaan hit his second and final 3-pointer of the game to spark a 12-0 run that put St. Thomas ahead, 57-54, for the first time in 13 minutes of game time.

Both teams traded leads six times over the final six minutes as neither team led by more than three points. Miles Barnstable's second 3-pointer of the game tied St. Thomas and SDSU at 69 apiece with 2:42 to play.

Neither team scored over the next two minutes until a steal by Dobbs led to a turnaround jumper by Minessale in the paint for the lead with 37 seconds to play. SDSU answered with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession that drew a timeout for St. Thomas. Trailing one with 18 seconds left, Dobbs drew a foul in the bonus to earn free throws as he made both with 13 seconds to play.

The Tommies played tight, stifling defense for the entire 13 seconds and didn't allow the Jackrabbits to get a shot off until a last second heave that didn't leave the Jackrabbits' hands in time.

TOMMIE TIDBITS

The Tommies' home win streak was extended to 11 games, its longest home winning streak during the DI era. It's also the second time over the last three seasons St. Thomas has opened its season with at least seven straight home wins.
St. Thomas snapped its five-game losing streak when trailing at the half after trailing by four, 40-36, at the break. The Tommies also handed the Jackrabbits just their second loss when leading at halftime.
Nolan Minessale has led St. Thomas in scoring in three games this season, going 2-1 in those games, after scoring 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting overall. He tied Ryan Dufault for a team best four rebounds to go along with three assists, two steals and one block. It's his sixth game of the season recording at least one assist, one steal and one block.
Drake Dobbs scored 12 points on 3-8 shooting overall, including 2-of-6 from long range, and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. He dished out five assists to two turnovers as he carries a 4.1 assist-to-turnover ratio over the past nine games. Dobbs has scored in double figures with at least five assists in five times this season, and has scored in double figures in four of the last five games.
Kendall Blue recorded 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-3 on 3-pointers, and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. He added four assists, his seventh game with at least four this season.

QUOTABLES
Head Coach Johnny Tauer following Wednesday night's third straight Summit League win:
"What a college basketball game. I have so much respect for South Dakota State and the job that Eric (Henderson) and his staff do. It's a fascinating game because I think in many ways, our programs value the same things.

"They've been, in many ways, the gold standard in this conference for a long time and they continued to be and so it was an unbelievable college basketball game. What a turnout by our fans. Just an electric raucous crowd. And as a coach, you look around and catch yourself in games like that sometimes saying 'This is why we love to do what we do.' Certainly, part of it is the holistic growth of our players, but a lot is just those moments they work so tirelessly for.

"The way they competed and the poise and composure that they showed multiple times throughout the game…never did they panic. You just see the trust they have in one another, the way they love playing with one another. And it doesn't guarantee you an outcome, but it guarantees you're going to have a chance and I just thought the way they stuck together and believed in one another, it was really inspiring for me to coach them."

UP NEXT
St. Thomas remains at home for its next two contests, starting Saturday, Jan. 11 as South Dakota enters Schoenecker Arena for a 7 p.m. tip-off.

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-- St. Thomas Athletics --

Tommies outlast Jackrabbits 73-72 in late night thriller

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Team Stats

Nolan Minessale

Drake Dobbs

Kendall Blue

Carter Bjerke

Players Mentioned

Miles Barnstable

Kendall Blue

Rich Byhre

Drake Dobbs

Ryan Dufault

Nolan Minessale

Ben Oosterbaan

University of St. Thomas Athletics