University of St. Thomas Athletics
Sunday, December 28
St. Paul, Minn.
1:00 p.m. CT
11-4,0-0Summit League
105
vs
59
North Central (MN)
2-10,0-0UMAC
1
2
F
North Central (MN)
36
23
59
St. Thomas (MN)
55
50
105
Photo by: Abby Bondi
Tommies win 11th non-conference game with 105-59 victory over Rams
12/28/2025 3:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Minessale scores 20 first-half points as six Tommies top 10 points
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A 20-point first half by Nolan Minessale set the tone for St. Thomas men's basketball's 105-59 win Sunday afternoon over North Central at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. The Tommies (11-4) closed its non-conference schedule with its most victories against non-conference opponents heading into Summit League games.
First Half: St. Thomas set the tone immediately as Minessale scored on the Tommies' opening possession and later capped an early surge that established control. After Carter Bjerke's layup made it 4-1, Nick Janowski knocked down his first 3-pointer and Minessale added a driving finish to ignite a 14-2 run. The Tommies scored on five of seven field-goal attempts during the spurt, including two triples, with Minessale accounting for six points as St. Thomas built an 18-6 lead with 14:16 remaining.
North Central answered with a push of its own, trimming the margin to 27-21 behind five 3-pointers during a 15-9 run. St. Thomas responded with poise, getting contributions from four different scorers during a decisive 10-2 stretch to restore a double-digit advantage for good. Minessale scored five during the run as the Tommies carried a 37-23 lead into the under-eight media timeout, then closed the half strong by scoring 18 of the final 28 points. St. Thomas shot 57.1 percent from the field (20-of-35), went 6-of-10 from beyond the arc and held a 21-14 rebounding edge at the break, with Minessale pouring in 20 first-half points and Jermaine Coleman adding 11.
Second Half: St. Thomas wasted little time reasserting control coming out of the break, as Ben Oosterbaan's pair of free throws pushed the margin back to 20 at 57-36. One minute later, Oosterbaan converted a layup that ensured the lead would stay above 20 for the remainder of the afternoon. That basket ignited an 11-2 run, highlighted by six points from Nick Janowski, as the Tommies surged ahead 68-40 and continued to dictate the pace on both ends.
The defensive pressure only intensified from there. Over a three-minute stretch, St. Thomas forced four missed field goals and four turnovers, turning defense into offense during a 7-0 run that ballooned the advantage to 75-44. The sequence was punctuated by a steal and dunk from Bjerke. North Central managed just 23 points in the second half, marking the fewest points St. Thomas has allowed in a half since holding Kansas City to 23 on Dec. 31, 2023.
Tommie Tidbits
First Half: St. Thomas set the tone immediately as Minessale scored on the Tommies' opening possession and later capped an early surge that established control. After Carter Bjerke's layup made it 4-1, Nick Janowski knocked down his first 3-pointer and Minessale added a driving finish to ignite a 14-2 run. The Tommies scored on five of seven field-goal attempts during the spurt, including two triples, with Minessale accounting for six points as St. Thomas built an 18-6 lead with 14:16 remaining.
North Central answered with a push of its own, trimming the margin to 27-21 behind five 3-pointers during a 15-9 run. St. Thomas responded with poise, getting contributions from four different scorers during a decisive 10-2 stretch to restore a double-digit advantage for good. Minessale scored five during the run as the Tommies carried a 37-23 lead into the under-eight media timeout, then closed the half strong by scoring 18 of the final 28 points. St. Thomas shot 57.1 percent from the field (20-of-35), went 6-of-10 from beyond the arc and held a 21-14 rebounding edge at the break, with Minessale pouring in 20 first-half points and Jermaine Coleman adding 11.
Second Half: St. Thomas wasted little time reasserting control coming out of the break, as Ben Oosterbaan's pair of free throws pushed the margin back to 20 at 57-36. One minute later, Oosterbaan converted a layup that ensured the lead would stay above 20 for the remainder of the afternoon. That basket ignited an 11-2 run, highlighted by six points from Nick Janowski, as the Tommies surged ahead 68-40 and continued to dictate the pace on both ends.
The defensive pressure only intensified from there. Over a three-minute stretch, St. Thomas forced four missed field goals and four turnovers, turning defense into offense during a 7-0 run that ballooned the advantage to 75-44. The sequence was punctuated by a steal and dunk from Bjerke. North Central managed just 23 points in the second half, marking the fewest points St. Thomas has allowed in a half since holding Kansas City to 23 on Dec. 31, 2023.
Tommie Tidbits
- St. Thomas' home-winning streak continues at 25 games, the longest active streak in NCAA Division I. Duke follows behind with a 23-game winning streak. UST continues its current home stand with the start of the Summit League schedule, Sunday, Jan. 4 versus Denver and Wednesday, Jan. 7 against South Dakota.
- First 100-point game since a 119-104 win over South Dakota on Jan. 11, 2025.
- The Tommies have beaten the Rams by an average margin of 43.4 points since first playing in 2021-22.
- Minessale has 13 20-point games, entering the game with the most such games in the country as he also led the country in total points and was sixth in points per game.
- Six Tommies finished with at least 10 points while all 11 to play scored.
- This season is the first time the program has reached 11 non-conference wins before entering conference play since joining Division I.
- Jermaine Coleman (14), Hayden Tibbits (11), Tim Franks (10) and Jack Tauer (3) each scored career highs on the day while Nick Janowski tied the program's Division I era single-game record with 13 rebounds.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas opens Summit League play Sunday, Jan. 4 with a 12 p.m. tip-off against Denver at 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 --
Team Stats
NCU
UST
FG%
.319
.536
3FG%
.244
.500
FT%
.714
.667
RB
32
51
TO
13
8
STL
5
7
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
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