SALEM, Virginia – For the second time in six seasons, the St. Thomas men’s basketball team is heading to the national championship game following a 19-point performance by guard Grant Shaeffer in the Tommies 66-62 national semifinal victory over Christopher Newport Friday night at the Salem Civic Center.

In addition to his 19 points, the junior finished with six rebounds on top of shooting 7-16 in 38 minutes. Christopher Newport coach John Krikorian called Shaeffer “the key to the game,” but Shaeffer credited the coaches for the Tommies’ success.

“These coaches do an unbelievable job. I don’t really have words for the job they do in preparing us,” Shaeffer said.

Forward Cullen Ogren was an unexpected yet crucial contributor to St. Thomas’ first half performance. He finished the first half with eight points and four rebounds in 13 minutes of work. Early foul trouble from center Ryan Saarela gave Ogren quality minutes in play.

Ogren’s night might have come to an end midway in the second half when he took a charge. The senior hit the floor hard and stayed down for a few moments but showed toughness when he elected to stay in the game.

Coming into the semifinal, the senior averaged 7.8 minutes and 1.7 points per game. Ogren’s career high is six points, and he chalked up eight total points all of last season.

“That’s one of the most inspiring performances I’ve ever seen,” St. Thomas coach John Tauer said. “He’s one of the best people I’ve ever coached … It kind of defines our team, is their trust in a guy like (Ogren) because all of the hard work he’s put in.”

Ogren knew his work ethic would be important in maintaining his composure.

“I tried to stay focused and know at the end of the day it’s just another game, and you’ve got to do what you’ve been doing all year,” Ogren said.

Christopher Newport started the first half with a lackluster offensive performance. The Captains missed their first seven shots before guard Aaron McFarland connected on a layup with 14:45 left in the first half. Christopher Newport picked up the slack a little bit, finishing the opening half shooting 11 of 27 from the field, including one of 11 from behind the arc.

St. Thomas closed out the first half on a 10-0 run, including buckets from four different players. The Tommies finished the first half shooting 46 percent from the floor and attempted only two 3-pointers. Shaeffer and fellow guard Cortez Tillman each added 7 points in the opening half. Tauer said defense was key in getting on the late first-half run.

“One of the things these guys have been really, really good about all year is not letting the down points turn into 10-0 runs for the other team,” Tauer said.

After the 10-0 run at the end of the half, St. Thomas never relinquished the lead. Shaeffer scored 12 of his 19 points in the closing half. Guard Taylor Montero also had a strong second half, adding 10 of his 14 points. Tillman finished the contest with 11 points.

The rare occurrence of the night was that the Tommies,who average nearly 18 3-pointers per game, only attempted eight and only made one. The St. Thomas lone 3-pointer came with the 12:19 left in the first half. Tauer attributes the Tommies’ lack of success behind the arc to Christopher Newport’s defense.

“We didn’t shoot the ball we’re accustomed to, and some of that is a testament to them; a lot of it is,” Tauer said.

Throughout the second half, the Tommies’ advantage fluctuated from 4 to 11 points. They shot 23 of 56 from the field but sunk 19 of 24 free throws.

McFarland proved to be an important key for chipping away at St. Thomas’ lead. The First-Team All-American scored 16 points and grabbed four rebounds. Forward Tim Daly also chipped in 15 points and 10 rebounds, scoring most of his points in the post. Guard Marcus Carter chalked up 10 points.

McFarland and Carter used their speed to penetrate the Tommie defense, but Montero said past experiences helped the Tommies prepare for the Captains’ quick guards.

“Another big thing that the coaches always emphasize is getting a stance,” Montero said. “That’s what we learned about a lot in our loss. When they’d go by us we wouldn’t be in a stance; we wouldn’t be ready to play defense.”

St. Thomas will battle No. 2-ranked Benedictine, who narrowly escaped No. 15 Amherst with a 63-60 victory, for the national championship Saturday night at 5 p.m. CT.

Jesse Krull can be reached at krul7386@stthomas.edu.