Center Tommy Hannon and guard Will DeBerg both contributed 12 points to help carry the St. Thomas men’s basketball team to a 75-62 victory over Wisconsin-River Falls Tuesday at Schoenecker Arena.

Tuesday’s win marks the third straight non-conference victory for the Tommies (3-0) to begin the season.

DeBerg, who is averaging 16 points per game, picked up where he left off from the season’s first two games by draining a deep two-point shot on St. Thomas’ first possession. DeBerg said he knew the Falcons would come ready to play.

“We knew they were going to be good,” DeBerg said. “They beat us last year at River Falls, so we knew it would be a good test for us.”

The Tommies found some momentum late in the first half by going on a 22-5 run, heading into halftime up 46-36. Coach John Tauer said he was pleased with how his team fought.

“It wasn’t a great shooting night, but I thought we did great on the offensive boards and limiting turnovers,” Tauer said. “Defensively, after the first 10 minutes of the game, I thought we did a really good job of getting back on defense.”

Early in the second half, River Falls tried to slow down the St. Thomas offense by settling into a two-three zone. Back-to-back layups by guard John Nance and forward Conner Nord quickly forced the Falcons to switch back to man-to-man. Nance finished the game with 11 points, five rebounds and four steals. Nord chipped in with eight points and three rebounds.

River Falls gained momentum midway through the second half with three consecutive baskets, cutting St. Thomas’ lead to 54-50. However, consecutive three-pointers by guard Taylor Montero pushed the lead back to 10 points. Montero, who finished the game with eight points, wanted to help his team in any way he could.

“It always kills the other team when you hit big shots,” Montero said. “I was just glad I could help us get the win tonight.”

St. Thomas had opportunities to score all game by committing only six turnovers and out-scoring River Falls 25-10 on points off turnovers. The Tommies emphasized this coming into the game.

“(River Falls’) transition game is one of their hallmarks,” Tauer said. “I think after the first 10 minutes, we did a much better job of establishing our half-court defense.”

The Tommies outscored the Falcons 26-7 on second chance points and 32-15 on bench points.

DeBerg said he thought the second chance and bench points were the different makers for his team.

“I thought we did a great job of wearing them out throughout the game,” DeBerg said. “Our depth took over; we were able to bring in guys that were rested and they took over from there.”

Guard Noah Kaiser helped the Tommies with eight points and three assists, as well as guard Marcus Alipate with six points and two assists.

St. Thomas out-rebounded River Falls 37-27, and attacked the offensive glass all night, upping the Falcons 18-6.

St. Thomas will be in action next Wednesday as it travels to Macalaster to open the MIAC regular season.

Kyle Jonas can be reached at jona7984@stthomas.edu.