Tommies push home winning streak to 20 with 80-61 victory over Phoenix

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The nation's longest winning streak was extended to 20 games as St. Thomas men's basketball defeated Green Bay, 80-61, at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena on Thursday night. Sophomore Nolan Minessale continued his historic start to the season with his fourth straight 20-point performance as the Tommies improve to 2-2 overall.

SCORING SUMMARY:
First Half: St. Thomas delivered a comprehensive performance in the opening 20 minutes, building a decisive 50–26 halftime lead behind efficient shooting and aggressive defense. The Tommies shot 60 percent from the floor, including 46 percent from three, while holding Green Bay to 33 percent and forcing 9 turnovers that led to 16 points.

Minessale set the early pace with 13 first-half points, attacking the rim in transition and the half court. Redshirt-sophomore Ben Oosterbaan provided a major spark with eight points, three steals and a block before halftime, helping fuel a 9-0 run that pushed the lead to 20, 33-13, to break the game open.

Isaiah Johnson-Arigu added 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting, giving St. Thomas another steady scoring option over the first 20 minutes.

Second Half: With a significant advantage after the break, St. Thomas maintained control throughout the second half despite improved shooting from Green Bay, which hit 52 percent over the final 20 minutes. The Tommies' offense slowed, but timely scoring from Nick Janowski and Carter Bjerke kept the margin comfortable.

Janowski scored eight of his 10 points in the second half and added several key rebounds, while Bjerke contributed six points. St. Thomas continued to generate turnovers and protect the paint, limiting Green Bay to one sustained scoring run – 8-0 midway through the half – and never allowing the lead to fall below 21 until the final minute.

TOMMIE TIDBITS

The nation's longest home winning streak belongs soley to St. Thomas following its 20th straight home victory. The streak dates back to Feb. 8, 2024, 18 wins coming at Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies were tied with St. John's (NY) for the longest streak before the Red Storm's streak of 19 games was snapped Nov. 8 by Alabama. St. Thomas is currently ahead of Akron's 19-game winning streak with the next Tommie home game coming Nov. 29.
St. Thomas shot 50.0 percent from the field, tying the home-opening win over Army for a season-high, on 30-of-60 shooting. The Tommies hit double digit 3-pointers for the second straight game and finished shooting 36.7 percent (11-30) from long range.
The Purple turned the ball over nine times, staying at or under 10 in all four games this season, which included just three in the first half. Green Bay's 15 turnovers led to 22 points for St. Thomas, while the Tommies finished with a season-high 21 assists.
Nolan Minessale continues his season-opening streak of 20-point games, finishing with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, to go along with 6 rebounds. He's the only Tommie since at least 2007-08 to begin the season with four straight 20-point games.
Isaiah Johnson-Arigu finished with a career-high 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 2-of-3 from long range. He added four rebounds, three assists and one block.
Ben Oosterbaan totaled 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-5 on 3-pointers, with career highs of five steals and four assists. He's the first Tommie with five steals in a game since Ryan Dufault did so Nov. 14, 2024 at Milwaukee.
Nick Janowski was the final Tommie with double digit scoring at 10 points as he added four rebounds.

UP NEXT
St. Thomas back on the road for another quick turnaround as it travels to face Southeast Missouri State at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15.

FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas Men's Basketball, follow along on X at @TommieMBBall and Instagram at @tommiehoops. Tommie Athletics is now on TikTok at @tommiesports.

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-- St. Thomas Athletics --

Tommies push home winning streak to 20 with 80-61 victory over Phoenix

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Team Stats

Nolan Minessale

Isaiah Johnson-Arigu

Ben Oosterbaan

Nick Janowski

Players Mentioned

Carter Bjerke

Ryan Dufault

Nick Janowski

Isaiah Johnson-Arigu

Nolan Minessale

Ben Oosterbaan

University of St. Thomas Athletics