Men's Hoops tops Pipers in physical test, 80-63

W, 80-63
Hamline (M), January 18, 2010

St. Thomas 80, Hamline 63  

Junior guard Tyler Nicolai made 10-of-11 free throws and scored a game-high 16 points with four steals as No. 5-ranked St. Thomas (13-2 overall, 9-1 MIAC) remained in a share of the conference lead with Monday night's 80-63 men's basketball win over visiting Hamline (9-6, 5-5).  

Joe Scott added 13 points for St. Thomas, which won its 52nd consecutive MIAC home game, including six this season at two off-campus courts.

The Toms scored 23 of their 44 second-half points at the foul line. The Pipers were called for 23 second-half fouls, including 11 in the last 2:10 when they were trying to trim a double-digit deficit.

The Toms led just 36-32 at halftime after an 8-0 Hamline run to close the first half. Hamline made 15-of-17 at the line to spark its comeback.

The Pipers never got closer than three in the second half, though. UST used an 18-6 run to take a 58-43 led midway through the half.

HU shot 32% from the floor, had 22 turnovers and was whistled for 36 fouls.  The Pipers' Ray Brown had 11 points and six rebounds, but was limited to two second-half points. Carl Hipp played just 14 minutes due to foul trouble and had 10 points and five boards.

The Tommies also committed a season-high 20 turnovers and made just 2-of-12 from 3-point range but managed a 42-34 rebounding edge and 33-24 edge in bench scoring. UST converted 32-of-48 free throws (23-of-35 after halftime).  

Click here for box score: http://www.tommiesports.com/mbb/stats/1-18-mbb.htm   ---

Men's Live Blog:

-- We're here at Maclester's Leonard Center set for tip-off, where the St. Thomas Tommies (12-2 overall, 8-1 MIAC) will take on the Hamline Pipers (9-5, 5-4).

I'm freshman Patrick Stumpf, and I'll be with you for the rest of the game providing updates. Be sure to check back early and often!

-- The Pipers have come into the night hot, winning six of their last seven. One player the Tommies will have to key on is senior transfer Ray Brown (Richfield HS), who's averaged 17.5 PPG for Hamline this season.

-- As expected the Pipers have gone to Brown early, however the Tommies have done a good job of getting a hand in his face as he's just 1-of-5 shooting thus far. Teddy Archer has started 2-of-3, helping give UST a 13-5 lead with 5:30 gone in the first half. 

-- Junior Tyler Nicolai has given the Tommies a spark on both the defensive and offensive end as we near the midway point in the first half. Nicolai picked off passes on consecutive Piper possessions which led to one break-away layup and a pair of free throws. The Tommies have already used 12 players in the game -- head coach Steve Fritz is obviously trying to keep his team fresh after a marathon 70-69 OT win on Saturday night against St. John's. However, Fritz has imposed the same strategy a lot this year in hopes opposing teams will be worn out by the end. Tommies lead 20-10 with 10:50 left in the half.

-- Pipers' second leading scorer Carl Hipp (16.9 PPG) has left the game with two fouls, after scoring five points early. The Tommies have shot 55% to Hamline's 33%, as UST has done a great job on the defensive end and helped force nine turnovers. Tommies continue to lead 30-17 with 6:15 left in the half.

-- Hamline is 9-of-11 from the line while UST is 8-of-12, really the only stat that has kept the Pipers within relative striking distance. The Pipers' nine turnovers have hurt. St. Thomas has been balanced in its offensive attack, as Nicolai leads the team with six points, and Teddy Archer and Joe Scott have each apiece. Freshman Noah Aguirre leads the Piper scoring with six. St. Thomas has extended its lead to 12, 36-24, with 2:52 left in the first half.

-- The Pipers have finally started to play with a sense of urgency. They end the half on a 11-3 run, again spurred by their ability to get to the line, cutting UST's lead to four, 36-32. They've edged the Tommies by six at the charity stripe, shooting 15-of-17 to UST's 9-of-13 through the first 20 minutes. Both team's leading scorers have carried their respective team's loads so far, as Tyler Nicolai and Ray Brown each have nine points.

-- We have a score from Collegeville: Gustavus leads St. Johns 36-29 at halftime. Hopefully we'll have a final for you on that game before we're done here tonight.

-- The re-emergence of 6-foot-8 Carl Hipp for the Pipers early in the second half has given Hamline a boost. However, Joe Scott was able to show off his hoops and block the Piper big man, drawing some "oos and ahhs" from the home crowd. Still, Hamline has managed to keep it close, trailing 48-41 with 14:11 left. 

-- Key players are now on the bench for both teams, as Joe Scott (nine points) left for the Tommies with three personal fouls and Carl Hipp (seve points) also left with three. Hipp is one of three Pipers playing with three personals, to go along with a fouled-out Dan Anderson, who drew a technical foul after complaining when he was assessed his fourth personal. Ray Brown also drew a technical following a dunk, after which he taunted two UST players. Guard Tyler Nicolai made 4-of-4 off the techicals, as he's 7-of-7 from the line, with a game-high 13 points. St. Thomas is holding off Hamline, for now, 52-43, with 11:55 left.

-- Very surprising the Tommies are up as much as they are without the 3-ball. The Toms have only connected on 1-of-7 field goals from downtown, although HU's hustling defense has been a factor. UST just committed its 16th turnover of the night. Despite the spotty play, the Toms still lead Hamline 58-48 with 7:10 left.

-- Hamline has been outscored 29-19 this half and is shooting just 30%, which in part can be credited to St. Thomas' tight defensive play. St. Thomas has only given up 20 turnovers just once in the last five seasons but has 16 already. This game overall has been sloppy, due to the fact that it has been very physical and very free-throw oriented. UST leads the Pipers 65-51 with 4:17 left.

-- Final from Collegeville: Gustavus 76, St. Johns 65. The win propels the Gusties to 9-1 in the conference, which will keep them in a first place tie at the top of the conference standings should St. Thomas hold on.

-- Tommies have started to pull away, opening up a 18-point lead in the final two minutes. The last chance Hamline had came in the final four minutes, when the were on a 6-0 run and cut the deficit to 11. UST answered with a Joe Scott trey. UST has had to grind this one out -- Peter Leslie is attempting the team's 39th and 40th free-throw attempts of the night.

-- Final score won't be completely indicative of the way this game was played, but the bottom line for Hamline is you won't win many nights when you shoot just 30%, commit 33 personal fouls (plus two technicals) and 22 turnovers. UST wasn't much better, coughing up the ball 19 times, but anytime you shoot 44 free throws you're in good shape.

-- That'll do it tonight from the Leonard Center, as the Tommies outlast the Pipers, 80-63. It was a 44-point second half for the Tommies, half of which came from the line. Incredible. Some final numbers for you: Tyler Nicolai led St. Thomas in scoring with 16 points and four steals, while Joe Scott poured in 13. Brown and Hipp led the way for Hamline, with 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Tommies ended up attempting 48 free-throw, which has to be up there in the record books. (I'm sure Gene McGivern will be on top of that in one of his own blogs.)

UST will be on the road Wednesday at Concordia-Moorehead, starting at 7:45, which will be part of a men-women doubleheader. Glad to be with everyone tonight, hope you'll continue to support the Tommies the rest of the way.

Men's Pregame notes:

The Piper men are on a good roll with wins in six of their last seven games after a 3-4 start. Senior transfer Ray Brown has sparked HU and junior center Carl Hipp has continued his improvement. The Pipers, who had a bye Saturday, are 6-2 at home and 2-3 on the road. They won 88-75 over St.
John¹s five days ago. 

UST has allowed just 61.3 ppg and will get a test as Hamline has scored 79 ppg in a 4-1 run this month.

St. Thomas shares the MIAC lead after Saturday¹s 70-69 overtime win over St. John¹s. Tyler Nicolai
had 20 points, five assists and four steals. Nicolai has scored in double figures in 15 of his last 16 games,
and UST is 50-3 when he scores seven or more points. Joe Scott (1,005 points at UST) and Nicolai (902 career points) surpassed milestones on the night in their 73rd games as backcourt starters. UST sophomore center Tommy Hannon scored a career-high 14 points, six in overtime.

UST¹s men and women play doubleheaders Wednesday at Concordia and Saturday at St. Olaf.