ST. PAUL, Minn. (Interstat) — Nolan Minessale scored 27 points to lead Saint Thomas to a 92-78 men’s basketball victory over UC Riverside on Saturday at Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies shot 60.7% from the field and used a 51-point second half to pull away. Saint Thomas improved to 10-4, while the Highlanders fell to 6-7. Minessale, who added three assists, keyed the offensive surge. Carter Bjerke added 21 points and Nick Janowski had 16 points and seven assists for the Tommies. Osiris Grady led UC Riverside with 21 points. Saint Thomas capitalized on UC Riverside’s 13 turnovers, committing only six. A crowd of 1,780 watched the game.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (Interstat) — Nolan Minessale scored 27 points and Carter Bjerke added 21 as Saint Thomas (Minn.) used a dominant second-half surge to pull away from UC Riverside for a 92-78 victory in nonconference men’s basketball Saturday at Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies, improving to 10-4 overall, trailed by three points early in the second half before unleashing a decisive 17-2 run over a four-minute span to seize control. The Highlanders, who fell to 6-7, could not recover from the burst, which turned a 45-42 contest into a 62-44 Saint Thomas lead with 16:26 remaining. The most critical sequence of the game began with the Tommies leading 47-45. Over the next four minutes, Saint Thomas forced four UC Riverside turnovers and converted them into easy baskets. The run was fueled by stifling defense, with Nick Janowski and Austin Herro recording steals that led to fast-break layups for Minessale. The spurt was capped by a 3-pointer from Minessale, assisted by Ben Oosterbaan, that forced a UC Riverside timeout and brought the crowd of 1,780 to its feet. During that stretch, the Tommies held the Highlanders to just one made field goal. Saint Thomas shot a blistering 60.7% from the field for the game, including 50% from 3-point range. The Tommies also committed only six turnovers while forcing 13, converting those into 18 points. Their offensive efficiency rating of 129.5 on 71 possessions underscored a crisp, high-powered performance. UC Riverside, which shot a respectable 49.1% itself, was led by Osiris Grady’s 21 points. BJ Kolly added 16 points and Andrew Henderson had 13. The Highlanders kept pace in a back-and-forth first half, trailing just 41-38 at the break, but were undone by the Tommies’ explosive start to the second period. Minessale, a 6-foot-5 guard from Brookfield, Wisconsin, continued his stellar play, adding three assists. He has now scored at least 23 points in four consecutive games. Janowski facilitated the offense masterfully, finishing with 16 points and a game-high seven assists. Bjerke, a 6-foot-9 forward from Plymouth, Minnesota, was efficient inside and out, hitting 5 of 8 from 3-point range. The Tommies’ ball movement was superior, tallying nine assists on their 34 made baskets, while their nine steals disrupted UC Riverside’s rhythm. The Highlanders did protect the rim well, blocking six shots, with Henderson recording three. Saint Thomas, which entered the game as a heavy favorite according to analytics projections, has now won three straight games. UC Riverside, which was coming off a 95-70 win over Stanton, saw its two-game winning streak snapped. The total points scored, 170, sailed over the sportsbook over/under line of 151.5. UC Riverside travels to face UCLA on Tuesday. Saint Thomas (Minn.) is off until Dec. 28 when it hosts North Central.

SAINT PAUL, Minn. (Interstat) — A surging Saint Thomas (Minn.) team will look to extend its winning streak when it hosts a UC Riverside squad seeking consistency in a nonconference men’s basketball matchup Saturday at Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies (9-4) enter on a three-game win streak, having dominated their recent competition by an average margin of 28.7 points. Their offense has been powered by guard Nolan Minessale, who is averaging 27.0 points over the last three contests. He scored 30 points in a win over Saint John’s on Dec. 11 and 32 against Weber State on Dec. 7. UC Riverside (6-6) is coming off a 95-70 home victory over Stanton on Tuesday but has alternated wins and losses over its past six games. The Highlanders’ performance has varied widely, from a 100-53 road loss to BYU to the recent 25-point win. The game features a compelling backcourt duel between two high-scoring guards. Saint Thomas’ Minessale, a dynamic playmaker, has also averaged 4.3 assists during the win streak. He will be matched against UC Riverside’s Andrew Henderson, who is averaging 21.1 points per game. Henderson is capable of explosive performances, having scored 34 points against Grambling and 28 in a road win at Cal Poly this season. For the Tommies, balance has been key. In their 80-59 win at UNC Asheville on Dec. 13, Austin Herro and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu each contributed nine points and seven rebounds to support Minessale’s 23-point effort. The Highlanders have relied heavily on Henderson, but received strong support from Osiris Grady (19 points) and De’Undrae Perteete (18 points) in the win over Stanton. Replicating that balanced production on the road will be critical against a Saint Thomas team that is 5-1 at home this season. This contest represents the final nonconference tune-up for Saint Thomas before it begins Summit League play in January. UC Riverside concludes a stretch of seven straight road games before opening Big West Conference action next month. Tipoff is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.