BROOKINGS, S.D. (Interstat) — Saint Thomas (Minn.) used a dominant second half to defeat South Dakota State 77-62 in a Summit League men’s basketball game Wednesday night at Frost Arena. The Tommies, who led 31-28 at halftime, shot 46% from the field and connected on 13 3-pointers. Nolan Minessale led all scorers with 26 points for Saint Thomas (19-6). Nick Janowski added 23 points. The Jackrabbits (11-13) shot just 5 of 27 from beyond the arc. Joe Sayler paced South Dakota State with 16 points. Saint Thomas forced nine turnovers and committed only four, helping secure the road victory before an announced crowd of 2,922.

BROOKINGS, S.D. (Interstat) — Nolan Minessale scored 26 points and Nick Janowski added 23 as Saint Thomas (Minn.) used a dominant second-half surge to pull away from South Dakota State for a 77-62 victory in a Summit League men’s basketball game Wednesday night at Frost Arena. The Tommies, who led by just three points at halftime, outscored the Jackrabbits 46-34 after the break to improve to 19-6 overall and solidify their position near the top of the conference standings. South Dakota State fell to 11-13. The game’s pivotal sequence came early in the second half, turning a narrow contest into a comfortable Saint Thomas lead. Leading 38-35, the Tommies unleashed a decisive 16-2 run over a five-minute span. The surge was fueled by defensive pressure and efficient offense, as Saint Thomas forced four turnovers during the stretch. Hayden Tibbits and Carter Bjerke hit crucial three-pointers, while Minessale and Janowski continued their scoring, pushing the lead to 54-40 with 11:43 remaining. South Dakota State never recovered, failing to cut the deficit below double digits for the remainder of the game. Minessale, a 6-foot-5 guard from Brookfield, Wisconsin, was the catalyst throughout, adding four assists in 33 minutes. Janowski, his backcourt mate from Pewaukee, Wisconsin, provided the scoring punch, hitting five three-pointers. Ben Oosterbaan contributed eight points for the Tommies, who shot 48.2% from the field and connected on 13 of 35 attempts from beyond the arc. South Dakota State was led by Joe Sayler with 16 points and Matthew Mors with 13. Damon Wilkinson added nine points and three assists. The Jackrabbits struggled mightily from long range, making just 5 of 27 three-point attempts (18.5%), a key factor in their offensive struggles. They also managed only two assists as a team against nine turnovers, highlighting Saint Thomas’s disruptive defense, which recorded five steals. The first half was a back-and-forth affair featuring seven lead changes. Saint Thomas built an early 22-12 advantage, but South Dakota State responded with a 16-2 run of its own to take a 28-24 lead late in the period. The Tommies closed the half with seven unanswered points, including a Janowski three-pointer, to take a 31-28 lead into the locker room. Saint Thomas controlled the game’s tempo and efficiency, scoring 117.2 points per 100 possessions compared to South Dakota State’s 101.4. The Tommies also capitalized on mistakes, scoring 13 points off nine Jackrabbit turnovers while committing only four turnovers themselves. A crowd of 2,922 at Frost Arena saw Saint Thomas sweep the season series, having also defeated South Dakota State 74-69 on Jan. 22 in St. Paul. Saint Thomas, which has won eight of its last nine games, will host Oral Roberts on Saturday. South Dakota State looks to rebound at home against South Dakota, also on Saturday.

Preview: Summit League Showdown Set for Brookings BROOKINGS, S.D. (Interstat) — A surging Saint Thomas (Minn.) team looks to solidify its Summit League standing when it visits a South Dakota State squad seeking consistency Wednesday night at Frost Arena. The Tommies (18-6, 5-2 Summit) enter on a high note, coming off a dominant 99-64 victory over Missouri-Kansas City on Sunday. They have won seven of their last nine games. The Jackrabbits (11-12, 3-4) are looking to build momentum after a 95-72 home win over Oral Roberts last Saturday, which snapped a two-game skid. This is a quick rematch of a Jan. 22 thriller in St. Paul, where Saint Thomas held off South Dakota State for a 74-69 victory. The Tommies’ Carter Bjerke scored 21 points in that contest. Bjerke, a key player for Saint Thomas, is coming off a career performance. The forward erupted for 30 points in just 23 minutes in the win over UMKC. Over his last five games, he is averaging 14.6 points. South Dakota State will counter with guard Joe Sayler, who scored 24 points in both the first meeting against the Tommies and the recent win over Oral Roberts. In the Jan. 31 victory, he added eight rebounds and two assists. The Tommies have been efficient offensively, scoring 90 or more points in five of their last ten games. Their defense will be tested by a Jackrabbits team that has shown scoring bursts, averaging 84.3 points in their three conference wins but just 68.3 in their four losses. Saint Thomas currently sits in a tie for second place in the league, while South Dakota State is in a three-way tie for fifth. A win for the Jackrabbits would even the season series and provide a crucial boost in the conference standings. Wednesday’s matchup tips off at 7 p.m. CST and will be broadcast on Summit League digital platforms.