On the backs of center Ryan Saarela and forward Jimmy Remke, the No. 5-ranked St. Thomas men’s basketball team pushed its winning streak to 14-straight games with a 87-72 victory over MIAC rival Gustavus Wednesday night at Schoenecker Arena.
Saarela finished with 15 points and chipped in a game-leading eight rebounds. Remke tallied 13 points in 17 minutes of playing time, while forward Ryan Boll added 12 points. Although six players finished with point totals in the double digits, Coach John Tauer said the intensity of the defense laid the foundation for the team.
“Our defense really set the tone in the first half,” Tauer said. “A little disappointed that we didn’t maintain the same intensity in the second half, but overall proud and pleased of how the guys played against an excellent team.”
In the first half, the Tommies (18-1 overall, 13-1 MIAC) forced Gustavus to shoot 8-24 from the field, including 1-6 on 3-pointers. Sarella chalked up all three of his blocks within the first five of minutes of the first half. The Gusties finished with 23 first-half points, something Saarela knew Gustavus would work on after halftime.
“We knew they were a lot better than that, so that probably wasn’t going to happen the same way in the second half,” Saarela said.
Saarela knew the Gusties would come out strong, but didn’t expect the Tommies to flounder in the beginning of the second half. On top of scoring six points in the first five and a half minutes, Saarela recorded his third foul nearly three and a half minutes into the half. The adversity didn’t hamper the senior’s performance as he ended the night grabbing five of his eight rebounds in the second half.
Thanks to the depth of the Tommies’ offense, Saarela’s early second-half foul trouble wasn’t an issue.
“It was frustrating, but we’re so deep as a team, it didn’t really matter,” Saarela said. “We have so many guys that can come in and step up for me or anyone else.”
The Gusties (9-11 overall, 6-9 MIAC) took advantage of the opportunities given to them, going on a 14-6 run in the first six and a half minutes of the second half. Gustavus whittled St. Thomas’ lead down to 11, but the Gusties would not come any closer to obtaining the lead.
Guard Riley Sharbono’s 18 points led the charge for the Gusties. Guard Gary Cooper ended the contest with 12 points, and forward Brody Ziegler finished with 10. Prior to its meeting with St. Thomas Wednesday night, Gustavus rode a four-game winning streak and shot a season-high 66 percent in its most recent game, a 92-67 triumph over Macalester on Jan. 30.
St. Thomas forced Gustavus to turn the ball over 13 times and and came out on top in rebounds with 32 compared to the Gusties’ 25. Remke noted the importance of these two stats to the team’s mentality.
“Turnovers are a huge part of the game,” Remke said. “If we win the turnover battle — the rebound battle — it’s hard to beat us.”
Wednesday’s victory not only extended the Tommies’ winning streak to 14 games, but it also marked the first game of the spring semester. Now that his players encounter a fully loaded schedule, Tauer said the coaching staff will talk to the roster about time management. Remke thinks it will be a smooth transition from J-Term to the spring semester.
“It’s the same thing we’ve been doing year round,” Remke said. “It’s not like it’s anything different; we’ve got other things than basketball to do.”
The Tommies will travel to Hamline on Saturday, Feb. 6, to take on the Pipers.
Jesse Krull can be reached at krul7386@stthomas.edu.