All-around performances help St. Thomas cruise to 86-71 win over UND

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A St. Thomas Division I program record 21st win came off all-around performances Thursday night during an 86-71 victory over North Dakota in Schoenecker Arena. Miles Barnstable scored a game-high 23 points followed by 17 by Carter Bjerke and near double-doubles from Kendall Blue and Ben Oosterbaan.

The Tommies (21-9, 11-4 Summit League) also set a single-season program record for wins in the Summit League as it extended its home winning streak to 17 games, including a perfect 13-0 record at home this season.

St. Thomas jumped out to a 7-0 lead after making three of its first four shots and extended to double digits, 21-11, on a 3-pointer by Barnstable, his 10th point over the first seven-plus minutes. Barnstable scored 13 points and Bjerke totaled 12 points in the first half as the Tommies led by as many as 17, 41-24, over the opening half.

After shooting 58.1 percent as a team in the first half, the Purple came back to shoot 50 percent in the second to hold a double digit lead the rest of the game. The Tommies outrebounded the Fighting Hawks 41-33 and held the Summit League's fourth-leading scorer, Treysen Eaglestaff, without any points on six attempts.

St. Thomas shot above 50 percent (54.1%) for the 17th time this season, going 33-of-61 from the field and 9-of-22 from 3-point range. Barnstable went 9-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-7 from long range, while Bjerke shot 6-of-10 overall and 3-of-6 on 3-pointers. Oosterbaan scored 10 points with nine rebounds and four assists while Blue totaled nine points with a game-high 10 rebounds and team-high five assists.

TOMMIE TIDBITS

St. Thomas evened the all-time series, 10-10, with its fifth win over the last seven meetings including its first regular season sweep since joining the Summit League.
The Tommies extended its home winning streak to 17, tying St. John's (NY) for the longest active home winning streak in DI. The Purple are one of three teams in the Summit League this season with 13 home wins but the only team to have at least 12 home wins over each of the past three seasons.
Thursday was the 17th time the Toms shot at least 50 percent from the field, going 16-1 in those games.
Miles Barnstable's 23 points was his eighth 20-point game of the season, third most by a Tommie in a season during the DI era. His 75 percent (9-12) shooting is his second best performance of the season, previously shooting 88.9 percent (8-9) for 20 points in a road win over Northern Colorado.
Carter Bjerke scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. He was three points shy of tying his career high. It was also his seventh double-digit scoring game over the past nine overall. He now has 16 career games with at least three 3-pointers made, the third most by a Tommie during the DI era.
Ben Oosterbaan, with 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting, recorded his first double-digit game since scoring 11 at North Dakota on Jan. 4. He set a career high four assists and was one rebound shy of tying a career high 10.
Kendall Blue's 10 rebounds, seven coming in the second half, marked his third career game reaching at least as many while he neared his third career double-double after scoring nine points. He tied a career high five assists, three coming this season.

UP NEXT
The Tommies close out the regular season with senior night Saturday, March 1 against Kansas City. The 7 p.m. tip-off will be the final for the program in Schoenecker Arena before moving to the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena in Fall 2025.

JOIN US
To reserve your seat to be a part of the Tommies' 2024-25 season, click HERE to view ticketing information and purchase options.

FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas Men's Basketball, follow along on X (formerly Twitter) at @TommieMBBall and on Instagram at @TommieHoops

-- St. Thomas Athletics --

All-around performances help St. Thomas cruise to 86-71 win over UND

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Team Stats

Miles Barnstable

Carter Bjerke

Ben Oosterbaan

Kendall Blue

Players Mentioned

Miles Barnstable

Carter Bjerke

Kendall Blue

Ben Oosterbaan

University of St. Thomas Athletics