The No. 6-ranked St. Thomas men’s basketball team needed guard Cortez Tillman’s key 3-point shot and a defensive stop in the game’s final two minutes to hold on and defeat No. 20-ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point 68-66 Saturday night at Schoenecker Arena.

Tillman’s bucket with 1:45 left in the game came after Stevens Point forward Stephen Pelkofer cut St. Thomas’ lead to just one point with a trey of his own. Two free throws by Pointers center Alex Richard cut the score to 68-66, before a final stop by the Tommies secured the victory. Coach John Tauer said the Tommies (8-1 overall, 3-1 MIAC) played with poise down the stretch and did the little things right when it mattered most.

“With (5:48) left, the game was tied, and I looked at the guys on the end of our bench, and I said what an unbelievable game this is in college basketball,” Tauer said. “Our guys did the little things, and that includes taking care of the ball, making free throws and getting stops on the defensive end.”

Tillman led the Tommies with 14 points on the night, none bigger than his twin 3-pointers in the clutch.

“It wasn’t just me. This team is ranked for a reason,” Tillman said. “They just trusted me to make the shots. Any other day anyone else on the team can make those shots; it was just my turn, and I was open.”

St. Thomas fell behind early and trailed for the entire first half. Stevens Point scored eight of the game’s first 10 points and led by as many as 12 points in the first half.

“We dug a hole early and give credit to them also. They were shooting at a blistering pace early,” Tauer said.

St. Thomas clawed back from an 11-point deficit with 3:51 remaining to cut the score to 36-32 at halftime. The two teams traded baskets before the Tommies took their first lead of the game more than nine minutes into the second half.

“Once we settled in, it became a game of one-possessions where both teams had to be disciplined and diligent in terms of the shots they wanted,” Tauer said. “Down the stretch our guards hit big shots, and our posts played very disciplined and smart, too.”

Tauer said each possession’s importance was magnified in the game because of the type of game Saturday’s tilt evolved into. The Pointers slowed the game’s pace down and forced the Tommies to abandon their signature brand of up-tempo basketball.

“In many ways, we’re wired to be an up-tempo team, and they’re probably one of the best possession teams in the country,” Tauer said. “This is a game that helps develop our team and shows us our deficiencies because we certainly have some, but it also highlights the things we do well.”

Tillman said the coaching staff preached the importance of each possession throughout the game, something the Tommies took to heart.

“The biggest challenge for us was just valuing each possession,” Tillman said. “We’re used to playing 65 possessions in a game, and there is room for mistakes, but in a game like this, we knew we had to take care of the ball and get the best shot possible on each possession.”

St. Thomas is the only Division-III team in the nation with six players averaging double-figures in scoring, and the team’s depth proved vital Saturday.

Seven players for the Tommies contributed at least four points in the win. Forward Taylor Montero reached double figures in points for the fifth time this season, scoring 12 on 5-8 shooting, while guard Grant Shaeffer added 8 points to go along with his team-high seven assists. Forward Ryan Saarela also continued his recent streak of stellar play, contributing 12 points and a game-high 7 rebounds.

“We had to get really good shots because we didn’t have as many possessions,” Saarela said. “We were patient and moved the ball around.”

St. Thomas took care of the ball throughout the game, committing just two turnovers and hitting all 13 of its free throws. Guard Marcus Alipate scored 13 points in the game and was a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line.

St. Thomas will enjoy a long holiday break before returning to the court in Northfield Jan. 3 against Carleton.

Tom Pitzen can be reached at pitz2014@stthomas.edu.