St. Thomas men’s basketball beat Gustavus 68-64 in an intense overtime game Saturday at Schoenecker Arena.

Gustavus was a challenging match for St. Thomas, nearly beating the Tommies at the end of the second half.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” senior guard Tyler Nicolai said.

Nicolai scored a 3-point basket with seven seconds remaining in the game, bringing it into overtime and causing a roar of excitement from the crowd.

During overtime, senior Alex Healy hit a big 3-pointer to bring the score to 67-62 with 34 seconds left, sealing the victory.

Nicolai said he and the team did not play as well as they could have, and he hopes they give their all going forward.

“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs,” he said.

Nicolai and junior Tommy Hannon each scored 16 points. Senior guard Alex Healy added seven points. Gustavus’ Tyler Grey was the leading scorer for the Gusties with 11 points. The Tommies shot 40 percent from the 3-point line; Gustavus shot 20 percent. Both teams shot roughly 43 percent from the field.

Coach Fritz said he was pleased with his team’s victory and saw a lot of great things during the game.

“The kids never stop believing,” Fritz said. “You keep hoping that you do some good things.”

Both Fritz and Nicolai said the Tommies need to stay sharp for the future, but added that they feel good about the current winning streak.

“We’re pleased where we are right now,” Fritz said.

With this victory, the team is now 12-0. Fritz said the team is “getting into the real part of its season now.”

The men’s basketball team will play Concordia-Moorhead at 7:45 p.m. Jan. 12 at Concordia.

Nathan Spencer can be reached at spen9089@stthomas.edu.