No. 2-ranked St. Thomas men’s basketball (24-2) advances to the MIAC Playoff Championship after defeating No. 5-ranked St. Mary’s (14-13) 79-66 Thursday night at Schoenecker Arena.
This win gives the Tommies the opportunity to play in the MIAC Championship game for the first time in three years.
“I really thought one of the key factors in the game was our ability to just be focused on defense,” coach John Tauer said. “We weren’t perfect but I thought, for the most part, our guys were sound individually and were able to help one another.”
St. Thomas senior forward Elijah Hannah scored at the end of the half to tie the game.
Senior forward Tommy Anderson scored a 3-pointer coming out of halftime, giving the Tommies a 37-34 lead.
“Actually with the senior class, this was our MIAC playoff victory,” Anderson said. “So it means a lot to us to be able to get one of those and now to have the opportunity to go to Collegeville again. It’s super exciting.”
Sophomore guard Anders Nelson topped off the win by shooting a long ball to score the final points of the game.
“I think we outfought them, and we outrebounded them,” Nelson said. “We just made some plays down the stretch that really pushed us towards that win, so I couldn’t be more proud of my guys.”
The Tommies travel to Collegeville Saturday to take on top-seeded St. John’s for the MIAC Championship title at 7 p.m.
Mae Macfarlane can be reached at macf7507@stthomas.edu.