Behind forward Jimmy Remke’s team-high 16 points, the St. Thomas men’s basketball team reclaimed the MIAC playoff crown with a 66-63 win against Bethel at Schoenecker Arena Sunday afternoon.
The No. 6-ranked Tommies (24-3 overall, 17-3 MIAC) edged the Royals in a tight game that went down to the last shot. St. Thomas trailed by 2 points at half but managed to battle back and take a 10-point second half lead before Bethel cut the deficit to 2 points with just over four minutes left in the game.
“We let a 10-point lead go down to two, and I thought we weren’t as diligent on defense, a little sloppy on offense, but – to our guys’ credit – they really dug in and more than anything trusted each other,” coach John Tauer said. “They started playing together on both ends where they were helping one another on defense and moving the ball on offense.”
In an arena packed with more than 1,500 fans, guard Bridgeport Tusler tried to save the Royals’ season with a 3-point attempt that would’ve tied the game at the end of regulation, but the shot rimmed out. Sunday’s win is the fourth playoff championship in the last five years for the Tommies.
“It feels great. We dropped this game last year against St. Olaf, but it definitely feels a lot better to be on the winning end,” guard Cortez Tillman said.
“I thought it was a physical game. Bethel, hats off to them. They’re an outstanding team – extremely well-coached,” Tauer said. “I love the way Bethel plays, love the way our guys competed, and we fully expected a close game. Obviously, we made a lot of shots during critical stretches in the second half.”
Remke turned the tides after he scored 7 points in a span of one minute. The Tommies trailed 40-41 before Remke knocked down two shots from beyond the arc – one of which he got fouled on and made the free throw – to put St. Thomas up 47-43.
“They were playing our pick-and-rolls differently than they normally do, and they were letting our posts be open for the shot. They didn’t think we could hit it,” Remke said.
“The way (Bethel) was defending, we ran a couple sets we really haven’t run much all year, and (Remke) capitalized on that. One of the things we talk to our guys about all the time is being ready in moments when you never know when it’s going to come,” Tauer said. “(I’m) very happy for Jimmy. He played a heck of a game.”
After Tauer changed the team’s matchups at halftime, Tillman played a crucial role in the Tommies’ defense. In the first half, St. Thomas had its forwards defending Bethel guard Brycen Wojta, who scored 13 points in the first half. The speedy Tillman locked down Wojta in the second frame and held him to only 4 points in the last 10 minutes of the game.
“He’s a great player. It’s really hard to shut him down if he gets his three going. I kind of just wanted to give him a step because he’s really quick too and let him feel like he could drive because he is a good passer,” Tillman said. “I knew that if he got into the lane and found somebody open, he would pass the ball and that would take pressure off everybody else.”
St. Thomas received an automatic NCAA tournament berth with Sunday’s win and will find out its opponent after an NCAA Selection Show Monday at 11:30 a.m.
“We are thrilled obviously and get tonight to savor this championship and the regular season championship. Then tomorrow morning we will find out where the NCAA places us,” Tauer said. “At this time, there are 62 teams in the tournament. We don’t talk about good draws or bad draws. We get to play another week together.”
Jordan Kruger can be reached at krug6172@stthomas.edu.