Oosterbaan’s career scoring lifts Tommies to 80-67 win over Jackrabbits

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- No. 2 seed St. Thomas men's basketball advanced to its fourth Summit League Championship semifinal Thursday night as redshirt sophomore Ben Oosterbaan's career-high 23 points led to an 80-67 win over No. 7 South Dakota State at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. Sophomore Nolan Minessale added 22 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists as the Tommies (24-8) held the Jackrabbits (14-18) to 38.1 percent shooting on the night.

FIRST HALF: St. Thomas jumped ahead early as a layup by Nolan Minessale and a 3-pointer from Ben Oosterbaan gave the Tommies a 5-4 lead, but South Dakota State answered to take control for much of the next 11 minutes. Minessale tied the game at 10-10 with a 3-pointer that also marked his 1,000th career point with the program, and the Tommies continued to respond each time the Jackrabbits built momentum, including a step-back 3-pointer by Nick Janowski that evened the score at 15-15. SDSU followed with a 6-0 run before Minessale sparked an 11-3 Tommie response, scoring eight straight points with a pair of 3-pointers to help St. Thomas grab a 26-24 lead.

The back-and-forth battle continued as Isaiah Johnson-Arigu converted an and-one for another go-ahead score, but the Jackrabbits again answered with six straight points to reclaim the advantage. Trailing 35-30 late in the half, St. Thomas finished strong with a 9-2 run over the final three minutes to carry a 39-37 lead into the break. The Tommies shot 50.0 percent (13-26) from the field and knocked down seven 3-pointers in the half while forcing eight SDSU turnovers that turned into 14 points, offsetting a rebounding deficit that saw the Jackrabbits double up St. Thomas, 18-9, on the glass.

SECOND HALF: South Dakota State tied the game immediately out of halftime, but Oosterbaan ignited the Tommies with the first of his 12 second-half points to begin an 8-0 run over the next two minutes. Johnson-Arigu and Minessale added five straight points to extend the lead to 52-41, and the St. Thomas offense continued to surge as Oosterbaan scored eight consecutive points during the stretch. A layup by Minessale pushed the Tommie advantage to a game-high 14 points, 62-48, with just over nine minutes to play.

The Tommies maintained their cushion through the final stretch until the Jackrabbits trimmed the margin to single digits at 70-61 following a 3-pointer and driving layup with just over three minutes remaining. St. Thomas closed the door from the free throw line, going a perfect 10-of-10 in the final three minutes to secure the 80-67 victory and advance to the Summit League Championship semifinal.

TOMMIE TIDBITS

St. Thomas advanced to the Summit League Championship semifinal for the fourth consecutive tournament appearance.
The Tommies tied their Division I single-season program record with their 24th victory, matching last season's total.
St. Thomas will face either No. 3 North Dakota or No. 6 Denver in the semifinal after splitting the regular-season series with both teams.
Nolan Minessale scored 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting and 4-of-6 from 3-point range with eight rebounds, six assists, two blocks and one steal, becoming the third Tommie in the Division I era to reach 1,000 career points.
Ben Oosterbaan recorded a career-high 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Nick Janowski finished with 10 points, marking his 30th game this season scoring in double figures.
St. Thomas held South Dakota State to 38.1 percent shooting (24-63), the Jackrabbits' third-lowest mark of the season and the third straight game the Tommies have held an opponent under 40 percent.
The Tommies shot 51.1 percent from the field (24-47), made 12 3-pointers and finished 20-of-25 from the free throw line, including 10-of-10 over the final three minutes.
St. Thomas committed eight turnovers, its 19th game this season with fewer than 10, which SDSU converted into just four points while the Tommies scored 19 points off 12 Jackrabbit turnovers.

UP NEXT
St. Thomas continues the Summit League Championship with the semifinal against either No. 3 North Dakota or No. 6 Denver at 8:30 p.m.

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 --

Oosterbaan’s career scoring lifts Tommies to 80-67 win over Jackrabbits

Next Event

Team Stats

Ben Oosterbaan

Nolan Minessale

Nick Janowski

Isaiah Johnson-Arigu

Players Mentioned

Nick Janowski

Isaiah Johnson-Arigu

Nolan Minessale

Ben Oosterbaan

University of St. Thomas Athletics