Johnnie guard David Stokman tries to maneuver around Tommie guard Burt Hedstrom. Stokman was held to just one point, which came on a free throw. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Tommie guard Ryan Boll tries for a long two over Johnnie forward Tyler Weiss. After being held scoreless through the first half, Boll managed 11 points and one assist for the game. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
The Tommie fan section mimics riding a roller coaster during a timeout in the final two minutes of a 57-50 St. Thomas loss. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Tommie guard Burt Hedstrom advances the ball. Hedstrom had 10 points and two steals in the loss to St. John’s. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
The St. Thomas student section jumped to their feet after the Tommies knock down a three-point shot in the first half. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Tommie guard Michael Hannon looks for a lane inside against the Johnnies. Hannon scored eight points in the game. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Members of the St. John’s student section cheer on the Johnnies during the second half. The Johnnies won 57-50. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Guard John Veil sets up the Tommie offense. Veil made one field goal for two points in limited action off the bench. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Johnnie guard Garrett Goetz shakes off Tommie guard Burt Hedstrom en route to a score. The Tommies held the Johnnies to a season-low 57 points Saturday at Schoenecker Arena. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Despite bringing the score to a one-point game late in the second half, the St. Thomas men’s basketball team fell to rival St. John’s 57-50 Saturday in front of more than 1,700 fans at Schoenecker Arena.
With just over five minutes remaining in the regular season finale, St. Thomas (12-8 MIAC, 14-11 overall) guard GT Johnson missed a point-blank shot that would have given the Tommies the lead for the first time since early in the first half. The No. 3-ranked St. John’s (19-1 MIAC, 23-2 overall) team took advantage of the missed opportunity and closed out the game with a win.
Forward Tyler Weiss led the way for the Johnnies, ending the game with 20 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three blocks on nine-of-13 shooting.
“St. John’s is a great team,” coach John Tauer said. “I thought our guys’ effort was excellent. When you look at the 50-50 balls and some of the nuances of the game, we probably didn’t play as tight as we could, but I give credit to St John’s.”
While Tommie forward Ryan Boll, who leads his team in points, rebound and assists this season, struggled to register a point in the first half, the Johnnies went on a 25-to-eight scoring run going into halftime.
“(St. John’s) really rose above that 8 or 10 minute stretch in the first half,” Tauer said. “We were trying to climb out of that hole the rest of the game.”
With St. John’s up 29-18, Boll came out in the second half looking like the player he had been all season. He scored eight points in the first six minutes of the second half to bring the score to a two possession game.
“He’s our guy,” St. Thomas guard Burt Hedstrom said. “He’s our leader and everyone knows it … We just ride him.”
Hedstrom scored ten points of his own in the game, including a crucial three-point shot that brought the score to a one-point game with eight minutes remaining.
“We just played like we weren’t looking at the scoreboard,” Hedstrom said. “We weren’t playing like we were down, we were just playing our basketball.”
Soon after Johnson’s missed shot attempt that would’ve given the Tommies the lead, St. John’s guard Patrick Strom hit a three-pointer — his only points of the game — that stretched the Johnnie lead out for good.
Though St. Thomas ended its regular season on a loss, the team looks forward to Wednesday’s MIAC playoff game against Augsburg.
“It’s one and done,” Tauer said. “We’re going to play a really good team on Wednesday night, and hopefully we can win there and move onto Friday.”
The Tommies are the fifth seed and the Auggies are the fourth, so Augsburg will be host. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.
“We love coaching these guys,” Tauer said, “and we’ve certainly had ups and downs throughout the season, but I think our guys have battled through … We’ve come a long way.”
Gamiel Hall can be reached at hall0211@stthomas.edu.