Bjerke scores 18 during Tommies’ 87-52 win over Vikings

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The longest home winning streak in the country again belongs to St. Thomas men's basketball following an 87-52 win over Lawrence on Saturday night. The Tommies (6-3) assisted on 27 of 32 made field goals as redshirt junior Carter Bjerke led the team with 18 points.

SCORING SUMMARY:
First Half: St. Thomas absorbed an early burst from Lawrence, which briefly took a 6-4 lead behind back-to-back 3-pointers, before the Tommies countered decisively. Carter Bjerke buried his first 3-pointer, Jermaine Coleman followed with another, and the Purple never trailed again. The Tommies clamped down defensively over the final 11:46, allowing just nine points while forcing seven turnovers and limiting LU to 4-of-16 shooting during a commanding 28-9 close to the half. Bjerke paced the offense with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, while Ryan Dufault added eight points, four assists and four rebounds. Nick Janowski and Coleman helped control the glass with five rebounds each as UST built a 41-20 halftime lead.

Second Half: Lawrence scored the first basket after the break, but Ben Oosterbaan answered on the next possession off a feed from Dufault. After both teams combined for eight missed shots over the opening two minutes, the Tommies steadied and traded baskets through the first media timeout. St. Thomas kept its lead above 20 throughout the half before stretching it to 30 near the final media timeout. The Tommies shot 53.1 percent after halftime and finished 17-of-32 from the field, while Lawrence went 0-for-9 from deep until the final minutes and shot 38.5 percent overall in the period.

TOMMIE TIDBITS

St. Thomas extended its home winning streak to 21 games, tying Duke for the nation's longest active streak.
The Tommies recorded 27 assists on 32 made field goals, their most since tallying 28 against St. Norbert in 2024-25, while giving away just seven turnovers and scoring 21 points off 14 Lawrence miscues.
Carter Bjerke led all scorers with a season-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range, and added six rebounds.
Isaiah Johnson-Arigu added 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while Ryan Dufault, Nolan Minessale and Ben Oosterbaan each finished with 10 points. Dufault and Minessale shared the team lead with six assists apiece.
Minessale's streak of six straight 20-point games to open the season ended, though he remained efficient at 4-of-7 from the floor.
Hayden Tibbits posted seven points and delivered a team-best seven assists, helping fuel UST's highest assist total of the season.

UP NEXT
The Tommies take part in the Big Sky-Summit Challenge Dec. 3 and 7, entering 4-0 over the first two seasons of the challenge. St. Thomas begins at 8 p.m. Wednesday against Montana State in Bozeman, Mont., before hosting Weber State at 12 p.m. on Sunday in Lee & Penny Anderson Arena.

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 --

Bjerke scores 18 during Tommies’ 87-52 win over Vikings

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Team Stats

Carter Bjerke

Isaiah Johnson-Arigu

Nolan Minessale

Ryan Dufault

Players Mentioned

Carter Bjerke

Jermaine Coleman

Ryan Dufault

Nick Janowski

Isaiah Johnson-Arigu

Nolan Minessale

Ben Oosterbaan

Hayden Tibbits

University of St. Thomas Athletics