University of St. Thomas Athletics
Monday, November 3
Moraga, Calif.
9:00 p.m. CT
0-1,0-0Summit League
58
at
84
Saint Mary's (CA)
1-0,0-0WCC
1
2
F
St. Thomas (MN)
25
33
58
Saint Mary's (CA)
35
49
84
Photo by: Collin Boyles
Minessale scores game-high 24 points as Tommies fall to Gaels
11/4/2025 1:26:00 AM | Men's Basketball
St. Thomas drops season opener to RV Saint Mary’s, 84-58
MORAGA, Calif. – Sophomore Nolan Minessale led all scorers with 24 points Monday night as St. Thomas men's basketball fell in its season opener at (RV) Saint Mary's, 84-58, in Moraga, Calif. Minessale and redshirt freshman Nick Janowski combined for 38 points as the Tommies shot 46.3 percent from the field.
SCORING SUMMARY:
First Half: Minessale's dominant night began early as he scored the first six points for the Tommies, giving the Purple a 6-5 lead just over two minutes into play. The Gaels followed with a pull-up 3-pointer on the next possession, although 10 straight UST points by Janowski helped the Tommies tie the game, 16-16, at the midway point of the half.
Following a 3-pointer by SMC, the Tommie defense held the Gaels without a bucket over a near three-minute span which allowed Minessale to score twice and give the lead back to St. Thomas, 20-19. Saint Mary's retook the lead quickly as redshirt-junior Carter Bjerke knocked down a 3-pointer for his first points of the game to tie at 23-23. SMC went on to close the final 3:45 of the half shooting 5-of-7 from the field for a 12-2 run, taking a 35-25 lead into halftime.
Second Half: The Saint Mary's run continued to start the second half as the Gaels outscored the Tommies 8-2 over the first two minutes behind two 3-pointers and two free throws. Minessale added another 14 points in the second half but the Tommies could never draw within closer than 14 through the remainder of the half. Saint Mary's shot 65.2 percent from the field in the second half, along with seven of its 11 3-pointers, to outscore St. Thomas 49-33 in the half.
TOMMIE TIDBITS
Nolan Minessale led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting, scoring the second-most points in a game during his career. His career high of 27 points came last season at UC Riverside on Dec. 29, 2024. He also tied for the team lead with five rebounds, joining Carter Bjerke.
Nick Janowski followed Minessale with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting with his only two misses coming from behind the arc. Bjerke led all Tommies with three assists while Austin Herro led all players off the bench with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting.
St. Thomas has now started its season in the state of California twice over the past three seasons, falling in both games (71-66 loss at Cal on Nov. 6, 2023). The Tommies shot 46.3 percent from the field (25-54) but struggled from long range and the free throw line, shooting 23.8 percent (5-21) on 3s and 30.0 percent (3-10) from the charity stripe.
Saint Mary's size led to a 41-24 rebound advantage, including 11 offensive rebounds that led to 10 points. The Tommies, though, outscored the Gaels in the paint, 38-32, and in fastbreak points, 17-7. SMC shot 50.8 percent (29-57) overall and 42.3 percent (11-26) on 3-pointers.
QUOTEABLES
Head coach Johnny Tauer's thoughts following the 2025-26 season opener:
"First off, credit to Saint Mary's. They're a program that is maybe one of the most consistent in the country. For 18 minutes, we battled. I thought we were really tough defensively. It stretched out from two points to 10 points in that last minute and so things were certainly not insurmountable. But against a team like that in this sport creates a hole. To their credit, they're very good defensively. We didn't shoot it great from 3 or from the free throw line but we have a lot of inexperienced players, and they'll progress the more we play. We appreciate all the fans coming out to support us."
UP NEXT
St. Thomas makes its first ever appearance in the newly constructed Lee & Penny Anderson Arena on Saturday, Nov. 8 as it takes on Army West Point at 7 p.m.
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.
JOIN US
To reserve your seat to be a part of the Tommie's 2025-26 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
SCORING SUMMARY:
First Half: Minessale's dominant night began early as he scored the first six points for the Tommies, giving the Purple a 6-5 lead just over two minutes into play. The Gaels followed with a pull-up 3-pointer on the next possession, although 10 straight UST points by Janowski helped the Tommies tie the game, 16-16, at the midway point of the half.
Following a 3-pointer by SMC, the Tommie defense held the Gaels without a bucket over a near three-minute span which allowed Minessale to score twice and give the lead back to St. Thomas, 20-19. Saint Mary's retook the lead quickly as redshirt-junior Carter Bjerke knocked down a 3-pointer for his first points of the game to tie at 23-23. SMC went on to close the final 3:45 of the half shooting 5-of-7 from the field for a 12-2 run, taking a 35-25 lead into halftime.
Second Half: The Saint Mary's run continued to start the second half as the Gaels outscored the Tommies 8-2 over the first two minutes behind two 3-pointers and two free throws. Minessale added another 14 points in the second half but the Tommies could never draw within closer than 14 through the remainder of the half. Saint Mary's shot 65.2 percent from the field in the second half, along with seven of its 11 3-pointers, to outscore St. Thomas 49-33 in the half.
TOMMIE TIDBITS
Nolan Minessale led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting, scoring the second-most points in a game during his career. His career high of 27 points came last season at UC Riverside on Dec. 29, 2024. He also tied for the team lead with five rebounds, joining Carter Bjerke.
Nick Janowski followed Minessale with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting with his only two misses coming from behind the arc. Bjerke led all Tommies with three assists while Austin Herro led all players off the bench with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting.
St. Thomas has now started its season in the state of California twice over the past three seasons, falling in both games (71-66 loss at Cal on Nov. 6, 2023). The Tommies shot 46.3 percent from the field (25-54) but struggled from long range and the free throw line, shooting 23.8 percent (5-21) on 3s and 30.0 percent (3-10) from the charity stripe.
Saint Mary's size led to a 41-24 rebound advantage, including 11 offensive rebounds that led to 10 points. The Tommies, though, outscored the Gaels in the paint, 38-32, and in fastbreak points, 17-7. SMC shot 50.8 percent (29-57) overall and 42.3 percent (11-26) on 3-pointers.
QUOTEABLES
Head coach Johnny Tauer's thoughts following the 2025-26 season opener:
"First off, credit to Saint Mary's. They're a program that is maybe one of the most consistent in the country. For 18 minutes, we battled. I thought we were really tough defensively. It stretched out from two points to 10 points in that last minute and so things were certainly not insurmountable. But against a team like that in this sport creates a hole. To their credit, they're very good defensively. We didn't shoot it great from 3 or from the free throw line but we have a lot of inexperienced players, and they'll progress the more we play. We appreciate all the fans coming out to support us."
UP NEXT
St. Thomas makes its first ever appearance in the newly constructed Lee & Penny Anderson Arena on Saturday, Nov. 8 as it takes on Army West Point at 7 p.m.
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.
JOIN US
To reserve your seat to be a part of the Tommie's 2025-26 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
Team Stats
UST
SMC
FG%
.472
.509
3FG%
.238
.423
FT%
.300
.789
RB
23
41
TO
10
11
STL
8
6
Game Leaders
Pts
24
FGM
10
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
3
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballTommie Men's Basketball: Summit League Tournament Cinematic Recap 2025
Thursday, March 20
Press Conference: Tommie Men's Basketball Postgame vs Kansas City 03-01-25
Sunday, March 02
Press Conference: Tommie Men's Basketball Postgame vs Omaha 02/15/25
Sunday, February 16
Tommie Men's Basketball vs NDSU: Cinematic Recap
Wednesday, February 05
