St. Thomas men’s basketball capitalized on an eight-point lead at halftime and with the help of lead scorer, guard Cortez Tillman, defeated St. Olaf 75-66 Wednesday in Schoenecker Arena.
The Tommies (14-1 overall, 9-1 MIAC) faced persistent shooters and an aggressive defense from the Oles (9-6 overall, 7-3 MIAC) that kept both teams from grasping a solid lead in the first 15 minutes of the game. It was Tillman’s perfect shot percentage in the first half that helped the Tommies settle into a comfortable eight-point halftime lead.
Tillman said the Oles brought a more physical game than last year, and the Tommies needed to slow down their offense in response.
“They’re definitely a lot more aggressive on defense, I’d say. They’re really physical and a really good defensive team,” Tillman said. “We needed to take care of the ball a little bit more, slow down, and avoid turning it over.”
Coach John Tauer added that the Tommies knew the game wasn’t going to be a runaway.
“We knew it was going to be a 40-minute grind-it-out game and I really liked the way our guys dug in defensively and kept a positive energy,” Tauer said.
St. Olaf leads the MIAC in turnovers forced and caused St. Thomas to turn over the ball 11 times. Tauer said the team prepared for a physical game all week and thought the team managed it well.
“Their coaches are great defensive tacticians, and I think our guys for the most part were secure with the ball, but it’s a physical game,” Tauer said. “The fact that we shot sixty-six percent is very impressive against a stout defense.”
The Tommies had one of their most accurate shooting games of the season Wednesday, shooting 40 percent from the 3-point line and nearly eighty-seven percent of their free throws.
In addition to Tillman’s 18 points, center Ryan Saarela and guard Grant Shaeffer closely followed him with 16 and 15 points, respectively.
Shaeffer credited the Tommies’ faithful offense with the win.
“We just had to trust in the offense, trust in the coaching,” Shaeffer said. “We have guys who can score, so we just have to trust our system to come up with a win.”
St. Thomas will face Carleton, the only team so far to beat the Tommies this season, next Saturday in Northfield. Shaeffer said that though each team has different strengths and weaknesses, he thinks the Tommies’ consistent focus on the fundamentals is what prepares them for each victory.
“Every game is a chance for a win and that all starts with good defense, good rebounding and getting the shots,” Shaeffer said. “I think we all believe in the locker room that if we handle those things we’re gonna be a winning team.”
Lauren Andrego can be reached at lauren.andrego@stthomas.edu.