University of St. Thomas Athletics
Sunday, January 4
St. Paul, Minn.
12:00 p.m. CT
12-4,1-0Summit League
92
vs
88
Denver
8-9,1-1Summit League
1
2
F
Denver
37
51
88
St. Thomas (MN)
43
49
92
Photo by: Maddie Kranz
Efficient offense leads Tommies to 92-88 win to start Summit League play
1/4/2026 4:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Janowski scored 31 points for program’s eighth 30-point game of DI era during victory over Denver
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Redshirt-freshman Nick Janowski recorded St. Thomas men's basketball's third 30-point game of the season Sunday afternoon at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena to lead to a 92-88 win over Denver to start the Summit League schedule. Janowski finished with 31 points as the Tommies' (12-4, 1-0 Summit League) win over Denver (8-9, 1-1 Summit League) continues their six-game winning streak overall and 26-game streak at home.
FIRST HALF: St. Thomas set the tone early, scoring on three of its first five field goals - including two 3-pointers - over the opening 2:48 to grab an 8-4 lead behind baskets from Ben Oosterbaan and Carter Bjerke. A brief lull followed, as the Tommies went 1-for-9 from the field over nearly four minutes, allowing Denver to answer with a 7-0 run. Oosterbaan halted the slide with a 3-pointer, which sparked a 10-0 St. Thomas response when Austin Herro followed with his first triple of the day to restore control at 18-11.
The Tommies continued to counter every Denver push. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Isaiah Johnson-Arigu and Nick Janowski stretched the lead to 24-15 heading into the under-eight media timeout, though the Pioneers trimmed the margin to one with a 7-0 run. St. Thomas closed the half with authority, answering with an 8-0 surge fueled by four points from Johnson-Arigu. Oosterbaan capped the opening 20 minutes with a second-chance basket in the final seconds, sending the Tommies into the locker room with a 43-37 advantage. Both teams shot better than 43 percent in the half, with St. Thomas hitting six 3-pointers while Denver relied heavily on the free-throw line, going 13-of-15.
SECOND HALF: The teams traded momentum early in the second half, as St. Thomas' first five baskets came from beyond the arc to match Denver's efficient start, which included three 3-pointers among its first five field goals. The Pioneers tied the game four times before reclaiming the lead for the first time since the opening minutes, using a 7-1 run to go ahead 67-64 with 10:39 remaining. Denver briefly extended the margin to four before the Tommies responded with their most decisive stretch of the game.
St. Thomas seized control for good with seven straight points, sparked by baskets from Janowski, Ryan Dufault and Herro, to retake a 75-72 lead. The margin stayed within two possessions down the stretch, but timely plays swung momentum back to the Tommies. Coming out of the under-four media timeout, Oosterbaan delivered a key block, while Isaiah Johnson-Arigu followed with a layup and Jermaine Coleman added a steal and dunk to keep Denver at arm's length. St. Thomas sealed the Summit League-opening win at the line, knocking down six consecutive free throws in the final 3:24. Janowski poured in 19 of his 31 points after halftime as the Tommies shot 50 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from three over the final 20 minutes.
TOMMIE TIDBITS
FIRST HALF: St. Thomas set the tone early, scoring on three of its first five field goals - including two 3-pointers - over the opening 2:48 to grab an 8-4 lead behind baskets from Ben Oosterbaan and Carter Bjerke. A brief lull followed, as the Tommies went 1-for-9 from the field over nearly four minutes, allowing Denver to answer with a 7-0 run. Oosterbaan halted the slide with a 3-pointer, which sparked a 10-0 St. Thomas response when Austin Herro followed with his first triple of the day to restore control at 18-11.
The Tommies continued to counter every Denver push. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Isaiah Johnson-Arigu and Nick Janowski stretched the lead to 24-15 heading into the under-eight media timeout, though the Pioneers trimmed the margin to one with a 7-0 run. St. Thomas closed the half with authority, answering with an 8-0 surge fueled by four points from Johnson-Arigu. Oosterbaan capped the opening 20 minutes with a second-chance basket in the final seconds, sending the Tommies into the locker room with a 43-37 advantage. Both teams shot better than 43 percent in the half, with St. Thomas hitting six 3-pointers while Denver relied heavily on the free-throw line, going 13-of-15.
SECOND HALF: The teams traded momentum early in the second half, as St. Thomas' first five baskets came from beyond the arc to match Denver's efficient start, which included three 3-pointers among its first five field goals. The Pioneers tied the game four times before reclaiming the lead for the first time since the opening minutes, using a 7-1 run to go ahead 67-64 with 10:39 remaining. Denver briefly extended the margin to four before the Tommies responded with their most decisive stretch of the game.
St. Thomas seized control for good with seven straight points, sparked by baskets from Janowski, Ryan Dufault and Herro, to retake a 75-72 lead. The margin stayed within two possessions down the stretch, but timely plays swung momentum back to the Tommies. Coming out of the under-four media timeout, Oosterbaan delivered a key block, while Isaiah Johnson-Arigu followed with a layup and Jermaine Coleman added a steal and dunk to keep Denver at arm's length. St. Thomas sealed the Summit League-opening win at the line, knocking down six consecutive free throws in the final 3:24. Janowski poured in 19 of his 31 points after halftime as the Tommies shot 50 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from three over the final 20 minutes.
TOMMIE TIDBITS
- St. Thomas improved to 5-0 all-time in Summit League schedule openers and is also 5-0 in its first game of the New Year over the past five seasons.
- The Tommies extended the nation's longest active home winning streak to 26 games, tying for the seventh-longest home streak in NCAA Division I since the start of the 2021-22 season.
- Nick Janowski recorded the program's eighth 30-point game of the Division I era, the most since Nolan Minessale scored 32 points Dec. 7 against Saint John's (MN). St. Thomas has now recorded three of the Summit League's five 30-point performances this season (the other two belonging to Denver).
- St. Thomas has scored at least 90 points in three straight games for the first time in the Division I era and has reached 80 points in each game of its six-game winning streak, also a first in the DI era.
- The Tommies have committed fewer than 10 turnovers in five straight games and have exceeded 11 turnovers just twice during the 2025-26 season.
- Austin Herro posted a career-high 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, while adding five rebounds and four assists.
- Ben Oosterbaan drilled a career-high four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points for his fourth double-digit scoring game of the season.
- Isaiah Johnson-Arigu contributed 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting with six rebounds off the bench, marking his seventh double-digit scoring performance of the year.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas closes its four-game homestand with an 8 p.m. tip-off Wednesday, Jan. 7 against South Dakota at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. The game will be broadcast on television live on FOX9+.
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
Denver
UST
FG%
.491
.463
3FG%
.381
.394
FT%
.867
.586
RB
37
37
TO
11
7
STL
3
7
Game Leaders
Pts
31
FGM
12
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
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