Graduate forward Parker Bjorklund and first-year guard Andrew Rohde combined for 49 points to propel St. Thomas to the Summit League semifinals in their tournament debut on Sunday night.
The No. 5 seed Tommies beat the No. 4 seed Leathernecks in a comeback victory despite trailing for a majority of the second half.
“To be on this court with these guys and the grit and resilience they showed… against an unbelievable Western Illinois team, I could not be prouder,” coach Johnny Tauer told Midco Sports after the game.
The Tommies’ offense started efficiently, connecting on six of their first seven field goals and shooting perfect from beyond the arc. Bjorklund led the charge, shooting 4-4 from the field, and scoring 9 of St. Thomas’ first 16 points.
In spite of the offensive effort from St. Thomas, Western Illinois was able to storm back and tie the game at 19-19 with 11:39 left in the first half.
Bjorklund continued his scoring streak along with first-year guard Kendall Blue who also started the game shooting 3-3. The Tommies’ offense was unable to rein in their turnovers, tallying an uncharacteristic seven first-half turnovers.
The Leatherneck’s offense kept with the Tommies, putting together a 31-26 lead. Western Illinois consistently got to the basket as 28 of their 31 points came from inside the paint.
The St. Thomas offense seemingly shut off in the final minutes of the first half, missing six consecutive field goals.
Senior forward Brooks Allen finally snapped the Tommies’ drought with a fast break layup with just under a minute left to play in the half. An emphatic slam dunk from Bjorklund in the final seconds put the Tommies down 30-34 and capped off his 14-point scoring performance in the first half.
The Tommies almost fought their way back in the second half when a 3-pointer from Blue put them within one point. Western Illinois quickly responded and went on a 12-3 run, giving them a 50-40 lead near the 12-minute mark.
A 3-pointer, followed by two free throws, cut the deficit to just two points. Bjorklund tied it with two free throws of his own before Rohde laid the ball in and gave the Tommies their first lead of the half, 58-56.
The lead continued to expand due to St. Thomas’ 17-2 run and Rohde’s dominating 22-point half. One final free throw from Bjorklund with 38 seconds left gave the Tommies what they needed to move onto the next round of the tournament.
The Tommies will face the No. 1 seed Oral Roberts on Monday, March 6 at 6:00 p.m. in the Summit League semifinals in Sioux Falls, S.D.
“This is an unbelievable experience. We fought all the way to the end, we kept working hard because we knew this could be our last go,” Bjorklund told Midco Sports after the game.
TommieMedia did not send a reporter to this game.
Adam Mueller can be reached at muel7541@stthomas.edu.