SEATTLE, Wash. -- The St. Thomas men's basketball season came to a close Tuesday night as it was handed a 67-52 loss at Seattle University at Redhawk Center. Nolan Minessale led the Tommies (24-10) with 15 points, including eight in the second half, as the Purple ended with three straight 20-win seasons.
FIRST HALF: St. Thomas found early rhythm with three different scorers over the opening two minutes, then used a 6-0 run to take a 12-6 lead after Seattle U's second 3-pointer. The Tommies built their advantage to double digits behind back-to-back 3-pointers from Isaiah Johnson-Arigu and Carter Bjerke, going in front 18-8, and maintained a 10-point cushion after a Nolan Minessale turnaround jumper made it 20-10.
The momentum shifted as St. Thomas endured a nearly six-minute scoring drought, allowing the Redhawks to climb back within one. Johnson-Arigu ended the skid with his second 3-pointer, but Seattle U answered with consecutive triples to take its first lead, 25-23, late in the half. The Tommies closed strong, however, as Minessale sparked an 8-3 run with an and-one, followed by a Hayden Tibbits 3-pointer and a Johnson-Arigu layup to give St. Thomas a 31-30 lead at the break. The Tommies shot 45 percent (13-29) in the half and controlled the glass, 23-14, while limiting Seattle U to 30 percent shooting despite committing 10 turnovers.
SECOND HALF: Minessale opened the second half with six straight points to push the Tommies' lead to 37-30, but the offense stalled again as Seattle U tightened defensively. St. Thomas went scoreless for six minutes, and the Redhawks capitalized with an 11-0 run to take a 43-39 lead. Minessale snapped the drought at the free throw line, and Nick Janowski followed with back-to-back layups before finding Austin Herro for a corner 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 49-48 with just over seven minutes to play.
The Tommies could not sustain the push, missing their next six field goal attempts while committing two turnovers over the following stretch. Seattle U pulled away with a decisive run, extending its lead to 60-48 late. St. Thomas shot just 29.6 percent (8-27) in the second half and went 1-of-12 from 3-point range as the Redhawks seized control down the stretch.
TOMMIE TIDBITS
St. Thomas finishes the season with 24 wins, its third straight season with at least 20.
Tuesday's loss was the second all-time in the series against Seattle U, also losing during the program's first season of DI play.
The NIT game marked the first ever NCAA DI postseason play for the program during its first season of eligibility.
FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas Men's Basketball, follow along on X at @TommieMBBall and Instagram at @tommiehoops. Tommie Athletics is now on TikTok at @tommiesports.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
