University of St. Thomas Athletics
Saturday, January 17
Fargo, N.D.
1:00 p.m. CT
15-5,4-1Summit League
65
at
68
North Dakota State
16-5,6-0Summit League
1
2
F
St. Thomas (MN)
35
30
65
North Dakota St.
34
34
68
Bison come away with win of undefeateds, ending Tommies’ win streak
1/17/2026 3:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Four players reached double figure scoring as Men’s Basketball’s winning streak ends at nine games
FARGO, N.D. — Saturday's matchup between St. Thomas men's basketball and North Dakota State lived up to the billing as the Bison came away with a 68-65 win in Fargo, N.D. The Tommies' (15-5, 4-1 Summit League) winning streak ends at nine games as a last-second 3-pointer came up short to continue the Bison's (16-5, 5-0 Summit League) undefeated start to league play.
FIRST HALF: North Dakota State struck first with a 5-0 run before St. Thomas responded quickly, as a Carter Bjerke 3-pointer and a dunk plus free throw from Nolan Minessale put the Tommies in front, 6-5. The Bison regained the lead on the next possession and held it until St. Thomas answered with a 7-2 run, capped by a Minessale 3-pointer, to take a 20-19 advantage ahead of the third media timeout. Momentum swung again when the Tommies missed four straight field goals and committed three turnovers, allowing NDSU to put together a 10-0 run and regain control.
Nick Janowski halted the surge with his first 3-pointer of the game, igniting a 14-0 Tommie run that carried into the final minute of the half. Austin Herro provided a late spark, scoring all six of his first-half points over the final 3:23 to help St. Thomas edge back in front, 35-34, at the break. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, combining to shoot 28.1 percent on 3-pointers, as the Tommies finished 4-of-15 from deep in the opening 20 minutes. Minessale and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu paced St. Thomas with eight points apiece.
SECOND HALF: Minessale opened the second half with a reverse layup off a feed from Herro, but St. Thomas went cold from the field, failing to convert another field goal until the 14:15 mark. The drought allowed North Dakota State to use a 9-1 run to reclaim the lead for the first time since early in the first half. Johnson-Arigu kept the Tommies within striking distance, drilling a buzzer-beating 3-pointer late in the shot clock to pull St. Thomas within two, 43-41.
Johnson-Arigu continued to carry the offense with seven straight points before a layup from Jermaine Coleman, his first basket of the game, brought the Tommies within 50-47 at the under-12 media timeout. Minessale later hit a 3-pointer to complete an 8-0 run and tie the game at 50-50, but NDSU responded with an 11-2 stretch to seize control down the stretch. St. Thomas made one final push, trimming the deficit to three in the final minute, but a last-second 3-pointer fell short in a 68-65 setback.
TOMMIE TIDBITS
The Tommies committed 15 turnovers that led to 21 Bison points, though St. Thomas limited NDSU to nine second-chance points despite allowing 15 offensive rebounds.
Four Tommies finished in double figures, led by Nolan Minessale's 16 points, followed by Isaiah Johnson-Arigu with 15, Nick Janowski with 11 and Austin Herro with 10.
Minessale added six assists and four steals, Herro contributed five assists and five rebounds, and Janowski, Ben Oosterbaan and Jermaine Coleman each pulled down five boards.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas returns home Thursday, Jan. 22 for a 7 p.m. tip-off against South Dakota State, the first of two meetings against the Jackrabbits.
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 --
FIRST HALF: North Dakota State struck first with a 5-0 run before St. Thomas responded quickly, as a Carter Bjerke 3-pointer and a dunk plus free throw from Nolan Minessale put the Tommies in front, 6-5. The Bison regained the lead on the next possession and held it until St. Thomas answered with a 7-2 run, capped by a Minessale 3-pointer, to take a 20-19 advantage ahead of the third media timeout. Momentum swung again when the Tommies missed four straight field goals and committed three turnovers, allowing NDSU to put together a 10-0 run and regain control.
Nick Janowski halted the surge with his first 3-pointer of the game, igniting a 14-0 Tommie run that carried into the final minute of the half. Austin Herro provided a late spark, scoring all six of his first-half points over the final 3:23 to help St. Thomas edge back in front, 35-34, at the break. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, combining to shoot 28.1 percent on 3-pointers, as the Tommies finished 4-of-15 from deep in the opening 20 minutes. Minessale and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu paced St. Thomas with eight points apiece.
SECOND HALF: Minessale opened the second half with a reverse layup off a feed from Herro, but St. Thomas went cold from the field, failing to convert another field goal until the 14:15 mark. The drought allowed North Dakota State to use a 9-1 run to reclaim the lead for the first time since early in the first half. Johnson-Arigu kept the Tommies within striking distance, drilling a buzzer-beating 3-pointer late in the shot clock to pull St. Thomas within two, 43-41.
Johnson-Arigu continued to carry the offense with seven straight points before a layup from Jermaine Coleman, his first basket of the game, brought the Tommies within 50-47 at the under-12 media timeout. Minessale later hit a 3-pointer to complete an 8-0 run and tie the game at 50-50, but NDSU responded with an 11-2 stretch to seize control down the stretch. St. Thomas made one final push, trimming the deficit to three in the final minute, but a last-second 3-pointer fell short in a 68-65 setback.
TOMMIE TIDBITS
The Tommies committed 15 turnovers that led to 21 Bison points, though St. Thomas limited NDSU to nine second-chance points despite allowing 15 offensive rebounds.
Four Tommies finished in double figures, led by Nolan Minessale's 16 points, followed by Isaiah Johnson-Arigu with 15, Nick Janowski with 11 and Austin Herro with 10.
Minessale added six assists and four steals, Herro contributed five assists and five rebounds, and Janowski, Ben Oosterbaan and Jermaine Coleman each pulled down five boards.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas returns home Thursday, Jan. 22 for a 7 p.m. tip-off against South Dakota State, the first of two meetings against the Jackrabbits.
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
NDSU
FG%
.423
.385
3FG%
.323
.308
FT%
.647
.667
RB
33
40
TO
15
13
STL
6
9
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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