Behind guard Grant Shaeffer’s team-high 22 points, the St. Thomas men’s basketball team rallied to defeat Wisconsin-Eau Claire 78-74 in Sunday’s season opener at Schoenecker Arena.
The Blugolds rode their defense and 3-point shooting to lead the No. 13-ranked Tommies by as many as 14 points in the first half. The Tommies overcame their first half woes, though, sneaking out of a hard-fought battle with a clutch second-half performance.
Coach John Tauer said he was proud of how the team “stuck together.”
“We didn’t start necessarily the way we wanted to, but Eau Claire’s a very good team,” Tauer said. “They did something in the first half, both with their shooting and dribble penetration that I thought were effective, but our guys trusted one another.”
St. Thomas started the game with a lot of energy but was stymied by Eau Claire’s 3-point shooting. The Blugolds were 10-for-17 from beyond the arc, a big factor in the Tommies’ 43-29 deficit with just over two minutes remaining in the first half.
“We were really just telling (the younger guys) to stick together, be physical, play to your strengths and then just little things about closing out on shooters,” center Conner Nord said.
The Tommies narrowed the gap after halftime, applying effective full-court man-to-man pressure to force 12 of the Blugolds’ 17 turnovers in the second half.
“I think that’s part of our team’s identity. We’re quick and athletic, and we’re in many ways designed to play that style,” Tauer said. “I thought our pressure was critical.”
Poor shooting plagued St. Thomas throughout the entire game, as the team went 24-for-55 from the field. Shaeffer was the exception Sunday, shooting a perfect 6-for-6 in the second half while tallying three assists on the game.
“We were all – especially me – kind of forcing stuff in the first half,” Shaeffer said. “In the second half, I just let it come to me and the shots were there.“
St. Thomas did control the glass all game long, out-rebounding Eau Claire 31-21. Nord played a large part in St. Thomas’ second-half comeback, accounting for six rebounds and 10 points after halftime.
“I think it was just slowing down really and just letting it come to me, instead of really trying to get after the ball and moving a lot,” Nord said. “Just sitting on my side, letting the ball come to me, and then making the right play.”
With 63 seconds left in the game and the score tied at 72, Nord drew a foul and then hit both free throws to give St. Thomas a decisive lead. Foul shooting and defense down the stretch sealed the win for the Tommies.
“It was a ton of fun to get out there with the guys,” Shaeffer said. “We had a lot of nerves coming in. We have been working hard up to this point.”
St. Thomas begins a two-game road trip to Washington with a game against Whitman College Thursday before facing off against No. 17-ranked Whitworth University Saturday.
Jordan Kruger can be reached at krug6172@stthomas.edu.