Sophomore guard Ryan Dufault scored 19 points to lead the St. Thomas men’s basketball team to a 111-63 victory over North Central in a non-conference matchup Tuesday at Schoenecker Arena.
Six Tommies (6-3, 0-0 Summit) reached double digits and never trailed the Rams (4-3, 0-0 UMAC) after first-year guard Kendall Blue scored on the opening layup.
Despite North Central competing at the NCAA Division III level, coach John Tauer emphasized that St. Thomas continued to play its own brand of basketball and never stooped below what he expected.
“We always talked about playing to our standards,” Tauer said. “It’s so important that, regardless of the opponent, we’re focused.”
The Tommies were up 13-5 less than five minutes into the game. By halftime, the team was up 61-32 behind an 11-point half from Dufault.
Tauer was pleased with his team’s first half performance, as it shot an efficient 71% from the field and held the Rams to 43%.
“We were pleased, generally, with how we played,” Tauer said. “I think we wanted to make sure to maintain focus, play the right way, share the ball and make them take tough twos.”
Blue had a great individual shooting night as well, hitting a near-perfect 5-6, including 2-3 from three-point range. He attributed his performance to the team’s willingness and ability to share the ball in order to find the best shot.
The Tommies assisted each other on 26 of their 43 baskets, including a combined 10 from Blue and Dufault.
“I was looking for an open opportunity to just share the ball from the start,” Blue said. “I think our assist-to-turnover ratio is pretty good. We’re just looking for the openings and simple plays.”
Dufault led the charge on the defensive side, finishing the game with five steals.
“I just tried to do the best that I could at just getting into the passing lanes,” Dufault said.
Dufault opened up opportunities with his takeaways, helping the Tommies score 29 points on turnovers.
“I look up the floor and see what’s open,” Dufault said. “If it’s a 3-on-2, I just keep my head up and find the open man.”
As great as his players’ defense was, Tauer hopes to see it improve as the season progresses, especially as the Tommies take on Crown College at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at Schoenecker Arena.
“It’s difficult to be a great defensive team. It takes a lot of work and it takes a lot of fortitude,” Tauer said. “That’s a process throughout a season, and we just need to continue to get better at that.”
Adam Mueller can be reached at muel7541@stthomas.edu.