Men's Basketball gets fourth win in row, 66-60

February 3, 2004
Senior guard Neal Anderson scored 20 points and the St. Thomas men's basketball team outscored host Augsburg 5-0 in the final 2:00 to pull out a 66-60 victory in Monday's MIAC game in Minneapolis.

Nick Schader had 14 points and 13 rebounds and Joey Shimek had 18 points for the Tommies (9-10 overall, 7-7 MIAC), who shot 57% from the field and converted 8-of-13 from 3-point range. Danny Peterson added eight points and four assists.

Coach Steve Fritz' team has won four in a row and five of its last six. The Tommies completed a season sweep of the Auggies (6-14, 3-12) and moved one game ahead of idle St. John's (6-8 MIAC) in the race for the No. 6 playoff spot with six games remaining.

The Toms trailed by nine points early but used a 21-12 run to close the first half. They fell behind by five but never trailed in the final 7:00, as Schader and Shimek hit some clutch baskets down the stretch. They sank 3-of-4 free throws in the final 19 seconds to pull away.

St. Thomas has three tough tests in an eight-day stretch as it hosts fourth-place Concordia-Moorhead Wednesday (7:30 p.m.); hosts first-place Gustavus Saturday (3 p.m.); and playsd at second-place Macalester Feb. 11.

see Augsburg game story, link to box score here