Gene's Blog: UST-SJU rivalry doesn't disappoint

January 19, 2010

The Tommie-Johnnie athletic rivalry is alive and well. Five of the six meetings thus far in 2009-2010 have gone down to the wire, with three going to overtime. 

In football, St. Thomas scored with four seconds left to force overtime -– the first OT game in the series since the format was added in college football in 1996. The Tommies lost 20-17 in Collegeville in a game that ultimately decided the MIAC title. A postseason rematch never materialized, though. St. John’s lost its first-round playoff game while the Tommies won two postseason games before they lost in the national quarterfinals and finished 11-2. 

In soccer, UST trailed the Johnnies late in Collegeville, 2-1. But the Toms’ Elliot Amundson assisted on the tying goal in the 77th minute and scored what proved to be the winner in the 84th minute of a 3-2 victory. 

In hockey, the rivals played three times in November and went 1-1-1. Trailing 1-0, St. Thomas’ Rob Johnson scored with under three minutes left in regulation as the first meeting ended 1-1 in OT. In the MIAC weekend series, UST won on home ice, 2-1. The next night in St. Cloud, the game was 0-0 after two periods before the Johnnies won 3-0. 

In basketball, Saturday night’s game at CU’s Gangelhoff Center had several back-and-forth runs. The Johnnies’ hit a 3-point shot with 16 seconds left to cap a 14-point comeback and tie the score. A Tommie 3-point shot at the buzzer danced on the rim but rolled off to send the game to overtime. St. John’s made two other big 3-point baskets late in overtime, but the Tommies held on to win 70-69.

The teams will play again Feb. 13 in Collegeville in a game likely to have championship and playoff implications for one or both teams.  

In golf, the Johnnies placed first and UST tied for second in the MIAC Championships.

In cross country, UST placed third and St. John’s was fifth in the conference meet, and the Tommies later won the NCAA regional meet to advance to nationals.

In swimming and diving, the Tommies have also outscored St. John’s in both meetings this season. 

Overtime 

Winning close games usually separates average teams from good teams and good teams from exceptional teams. Coach Steve Fritz’ Tommies are now 8-1 in overtime games over the last four seasons. 

In Fritz’ 30-year era as head coach, he’s played the Johnnies 68 times. Ten of those games have gone to overtime, with St. Thomas winning nine of the 10. 

Johnnie joins the fold

Tommie men’s track and field coach Steve Mathre -– himself a former hurdles star at St. Olaf -– has a new ally as his team prepares to defend its conference indoor and outdoor team titles in 2010. Former Johnnies’ all-American Erik Diley has joined the coaching staff to help tutor the jumpers, and is already making his mark. 

“Erik is doing a great job and already making a difference,” Mathre said. “Not all of our coaches are able to make all the early-morning workouts, so he’s helped a lot.” 

Diley was a three-time All-American and two-time MIAC champion in the long and triple jump. He completed his eligibility in 2009, and his career long jump best at SJU was 23-11 1-2. 

One of the Tommies’ top prospects is freshman jumper Eyo Ekpo of Andover, a seven-time all-stater. Ekpo was the Minnesota state large-class runner-up in the high jump (6-8) and triple jump (45-7), took sixth in the long jump (22-7), and ran on the Huskies’ state champion 4x100 relay. 

Booth surging 

On the women’s side, the Tommies’ and Blazers’ athletic rivalry is heating up -– five of the last seven basketball meetings have been decided by three or less points.

St. Thomas knocked St. Ben’s out of a share of the MIAC lead with Saturday’s 66-65 road win. UST’s Rachel’s Booth made one free throw with two seconds left to break a tie. 

Booth had 21 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks against St. Ben’s. The junior center came back Monday in a 68-50 win over Hamline and had 24 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks.

The Tommie women are 7-0 when Booth scores 14 or more points. Among MIAC players, she ranks in the top six in scoring and top two in blocks and rebounds.

The Tommies play their next three games on the road, but that’s not as omenous as it could be. The Toms have an MIAC-best 25-9 road record over the last three seasons, including a 6-1 mark thus far in 2009-2010. St. Ben’s is next at 21-9. 

PHOTO: Rachel Booth (45) is emerging as  one of the MIAC's top inside players. (Greg Smith photo)

Miscellaneous 

--The latest NCAA Champions Magazine just arrived in the mail and should be available to view online soon. It includes a feature story on former Tommie jumps star Leonard Jones, a nine-time NCAA champion and 19-time All-American. See recent blog: http://www.tommiesports.com/ftbl/news/Blog_11-6.html

--In men’s basketball, Fritz' team has been ranked in the top 10 nationally for 22 consecutive polls and has D-III's best record over the last two seasons at 43-3.

--The Tommies are 47-1 over the last three seasons when leading at halftime.

--In a 6-1 start to their 10-game January schedule, the Tommies have allowed just 57 ppg in regulation.

--Tyler Nicolai and Joe Scott will make their 75th consecutive starts in the backcourt in Wednesday’s game at Concordia-Moorhead, and UST is 66-8 in that span. Nicolai has scored in double figures in 16 of his last 17 games, and UST is 51-3 in his career when he scores seven or more points.

--Saturday’s game at St. Olaf will be UST’s fifth game in its fifth different arena in 11 days.

--St. Thomas’ current 52-game consecutive home conference win streak includes victories in their final 46 on campus at Schoenecker Arena plus six off-campus wins this season.

--UST is also unbeaten in its two off-campus venues -- 6-0 all-time at CU’s Gangelhoff Center (two wins as visitor against Concordia) and 4-0 all-time at Macalester’s Leonard Center.

-- Over the last five seasons, UST is 92-4 in regulation games when it scores 68 or more points (also 6-2 in overtime games where it scored 68-plus), but just 12-11 when it scores under 66 points.

Tragedy

--Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., opened in 1962 and started varsity athletics in 1984. Last May, the Fighting Knights’ baseball team won its first NCAA Division III championship, the same week as the Tommies won the Division III title. Lynn went 8-0 in its NCAA playoff run.

The university of 2,000 students is reeling this week. Ten students and two faculty members went to Haiti for a J-term trip called Journey of Hope to Haiti. They went to help clean beaches, build homes and feed the underprivileged. Six students have returned safely, but four students and two faculty students are still missing. They are among 200 still unaccounted for who were staying at the Hotel Montana when it collapsed.

Click here to view Lynn’s website for ongoing updates:

http://www.lynn.edu/alert