Forward Ryan Boll scores from the paint to give the Tommies a 46-36 lead over Gustavus on Dec. 13. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Guard Burt Hedstrom out-jumps guard Austin Goetz to secure the rebound for the Tommies. Hedstrom tallied 12 points and five rebounds in the matchup. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia).
A Gustavus player deflects the basketball off forward Ryan Boll’s leg as the Gusties earn possession under the hoop. St. Thomas defeated Gustavus 64-51 Wednesday night at Schoenecker Arena. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Guard John Veil passes to a teammate along the perimeter. Veil went 2-2 from the line and totaled seven points against Gustavus. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Forward Ryan Boll was a rebound shy of a double-double Wednesday night as the St. Thomas men’s basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak against Gustavus Adolphus 64-51 at Schoenecker Arena.
The Tommies (4-4 overall, 2-2 MIAC), who handed the Gusties (6-3 overall, 4-1 MIAC) their first conference loss of the season, jumped out to an early lead with the help of seven first-half offensive rebounds. The Tommies carried a 30-23 advantage going into halftime.
St. Thomas showed depth with 10 different players seeing the court, nine of whom scored.
“We can just fly guys in and out,” guard Burt Hedstrom said. “We pride ourselves on how in-shape we are. We just like to run teams into the ground.”
Boll showed how in-shape he was, playing 38 minutes and leading the Tommies with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Hedstrom, who started in place of injured Ryan Lindberg, added 12 points and five rebounds.
Guard Tyler Potts came off the bench and scored 11 points for the Tommies, including a late three pointer to help close out the Gusties.
“That was coach Pivec. He said ‘get Tyler into the game,’” coach John Tauer said. “It’s a little like rolling the dice on the craps table in Vegas, and coach Piv had a great call there.
“Those are the moments for teams that you have to have some success like that to build on. It’s fun to see our guys have that experience.”
The team quickly made its way back to the locker room following the final buzzer, and the joy of getting back in the win column was evident.
“It feels awesome. It feels really good,” Hedstrom said. “We’ve got to keep this going. We got Stevens Point on Saturday. We’ve got to keep this going.”
Tauer said the team is on the right track to keep the momentum from Wednesday night going.
“More than anything, I think it’s a lot of young guys learning how to trust one another,” Tauer said. “That was good progress tonight.”
The team will travel to Wisconsin-Stevens Point Saturday for a 7 p.m. tip-off against the 4-2 Pointers.
Brady Halbmaier can be reached at halb2084@stthomas.edu.