Minessale’s 25 points lead to 104-64 bounce back win over Kansas City

KANSAS CITY — Another 20-point outing by Nolan Minessale led the way to a 104-64 St. Thomas men's basketball win at Kansas City on Saturday night, the largest win ever by the program over a Division I opponent. Minessale finished with 25 points for his 19th such game as the Tommies (21-7, 10-3 Summit League) shot 71.4 percent (25-35) in the second half to take the season sweep over the Roos (4-22, 1-11 Summit League).

FIRST HALF: St. Thomas wasted no time asserting control, scoring on its first two possessions with paint baskets from Nick Janowski and Nolan Minessale and never surrendering the lead. Isaiah Johnson-Arigu fueled a 15-4 run with an and-one conversion and a driving layup before Ben Oosterbaan capped the surge with 10 consecutive points to build a 17-6 advantage.

Kansas City answered with four field goals over its next seven attempts, including two 3-pointers, to trim the deficit to single digits. The Tommies responded with five quick points from Minessale and Hayden Tibbits to stretch the margin to a first-half-high 15, 38-23, with under two minutes remaining. St. Thomas shot 44.1 percent (15-of-34) from the field and 33.3 percent (5-of-15) from 3-point range while committing just two turnovers, taking a 43-29 lead into halftime.

SECOND HALF: The Tommies quickly turned a comfortable lead into a runaway. After a UMKC 3-pointer opened the half, three St. Thomas players combined for an 8-0 run to push the margin near 20. Oosterbaan's third 3-pointer of the night gave the Tommies their first 20-point lead, 54-34, and the advantage ballooned to 28 just three minutes later.

St. Thomas continued to pour it on, extending the lead to a game-high 44, 98-54, behind 16 second-half points from Minessale, nine from Janowski and eight from Jermaine Coleman. The Tommies shot 71.4 percent (25-of-35) over the final 20 minutes, connected on 9-of-14 from beyond the arc and outrebounded the Roos 19-9 to secure a 40-point victory.

TOMMIE TIDBITS

The 40-point win marked the largest victory over a Division I opponent in program history, surpassing a 36-point win over St. Francis Brooklyn on Nov. 13, 2022.
St. Thomas now has three 30-point wins over Kansas City, including a 99-64 victory earlier this season and a 73-43 win on Feb. 11, 2022.
The Tommies continue their streak without back-to-back losses this season.
St. Thomas shot 71.4 percent in a half for the second time in the past four games, also doing so in the second half at South Dakota State. The Tommies' season-best half remains 72.7 percent in the second half against UC Riverside.
Five Tommies scored in double figures for the second straight game.
Nolan Minessale recorded his nation-leading 19th 20-point game of the season, finishing with 25 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Ben Oosterbaan tallied a season-high 17 points, scoring 10 in a two-minute first-half stretch, and added six rebounds and three assists.
Isaiah Johnson-Arigu scored 15 points off the bench on 7-of-11 shooting, while Jermaine Coleman tied a career high with 14 points, all on four 3-pointers.

UP NEXT
St. Thomas wraps up its three-game road trip at 5 p.m. CT Saturday, Feb. 21 at Denver.

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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Minessale’s 25 points lead to 104-64 bounce back win over Kansas City

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Team Stats

Nolan Minessale

Ben Oosterbaan

Isaiah Johnson-Arigu

Jermaine Coleman

Players Mentioned

Jermaine Coleman

Nick Janowski

Isaiah Johnson-Arigu

Nolan Minessale

Ben Oosterbaan

Hayden Tibbits

University of St. Thomas Athletics