The Tommies (6-1, 2-0 MIAC) jumped out to a 17-0 lead to begin the game, and they never looked back as they defeated Gustavus Adolphus College 90-66 Saturday at Schoenecker Arena.
Senior guard Thomas Madison was on fire at the start nailing two 3-pointers along with a steal leading to a wide open lay-up.
“It’s been a point of emphasis for us to really come out of the gates,” sophomore guard Anders Nelson said. “Whether we’re hitting our shots or not, just getting our energy from defensive stops.”
The Tommies shot 7-15 from beyond the arc in the first half while the Gusties (2-4, 2-1 MIAC) struggled shooting 1-9.
“I thought we came out with a good understanding of our gameplan,” coach John Tauer said. “We were active on defense, moved the ball on offense and we were able to capitalize in transition.”
St. Thomas took a 48-18 lead into halftime.
“I did think we were really communicating well on defense,” Tauer said. “I thought our guys off the bench once again did a stellar job of keeping that tempo and probably even taking it to another level.”
The second half was competitive as the Gusties outscored the Tommies 48-42.
The Tommies travel to Augsburg University this week with a tip off at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11.
Joey Swanson can be reached at swan5350@stthomas.edu.
Jamie Tjornehoj can be reached at jamie.tjornehoj@stthomas.edu.