University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, November 6
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
2-0,0-0Big Ten
76
vs
62
St. Thomas
1-1,0-0Summit League
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas (MN) | 22 | 40 | 62 |
| Minnesota | 40 | 36 | 76 |
Photo by: Mac Brown
11/6/2026 10:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Isaac Asuma scored 14 of his career-high 20 points in the first half, as Minnesota (2-0) built an 18-point halftime lead, and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson had 11 points and seven rebounds in the second half to help the Gophers to a 76-62 win against St. Thomas (1-1) before a crowd of 10,604 at The Barn by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
It was the first meeting between the schools since Dec. 11, 1934 and Gophers improved to 7-1 all-time against the Tommies and 1-0 since the they became Division 1.
Asuma bested his previous career-high of 18 points by making 6 of 10 field goals, including 4 of 7 3-pointers, and 4 of 4 free throws. He added six rebounds in 37 minutes. Crocker-Johnson recorded his seventh career point-rebound double-double (fourth at Minnesota), finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists. Nolan Groves came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points to go with 7 boards, and Grayson Grove narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds.
As a team, Minnesota made 23 of 60 (.383) field goals, including 11 of 35 (.314) from 3-point range, and 19 of 22 (.864) free throws. The Gophers struggled from the field in the second half, making just 8 of 32 field goals, 4 of 19 (.211) from distance, but the thing that helped them fight off St. Thomas and secure the win was going 16 of 17 (.941) at the line in that final 20 minutes.
Kyan Evans added 8 points, 4 rebounds, and a team-high 4 assists for the Gophers, who improved to 15-4 at The Barn under Niko Medved. St. Thomas was led by Jeremy Lorenz with 13 points and 5 rebounds, while Hayden Tibbits had 12 points. The Tommies made 20 of 59 (.339) field goals, including 9 of 36 (.250) from 3-point range, and 13 of 18 (.722) free throws. Minnesota used its size to outrebound St. Thomas, 50-31.
St. Thomas built an early 6-2 lead on a Tibbits 3-pointer and a three-point play by Austin Herro, but the Gophers responded with a three-point play by Grove and a Crocker-Johnson layup for a 7-6 lead, and Crocker-Johnson's first 3-pointer of the game made it 10-9 at the 16:03 mark.
A Groves 3-pointer put the Gophers up 13-11, and the second three-point play from Grove helped the Gophers extend the lead to 17-13. A three-point play by Julius Wade pulled St. Thomas within one, but Minnesota responded with a 16-0 run over the next five minutes, with Asuma hitting four 3-pointers and scoring 14 points to stretch the lead to 33-16 with 6:48 left until the half.
Layups by Grove and Cedric Tomes, and the third 3-pointer from Groves extended the run to 23-4 for a 40-20 Gophers lead with 1:01 remaining, and Minnesota settled on a 40-22 halftime advantage. Asuma led Minnesota with his 14 points at the break, with Groves adding 9 points, and Grove totaling 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Minnesota made 15 of 28 (.536) first-half field goals, including 7 of 16 (.438) 3-pointers, were 3 of 5 at the free throw line, and had a 25-14 rebounding advantage. Lorenz led the Tommies with 5 points in the first half. St, Thomas struggled offensively, making 7 of 31 (.226) field goals, including just 2 of 19 (.105) from 3-point range.
Crocker-Johnson's second 3-pointer briefly gave the Gophers a 21-point lead at 45-24 early in the second half, but 3-pointers from Carter Bjerke, Jono Wilkinson, and Tibbits, and a three-point play by Lorenz, trimmed Minnesota's lead to 49-36 with 16:38 remaining.
Crocker-Johnson, Bobby Durkin, and Groves all made 3-pointers as the Gophers led 55-39 at the first media timeout with 15:34 left, but a 4-0 St. Thomas run pulled the Tommies within 12 at 55-43. Over the opening eight minutes of the second half, the Tommies made 6 of 11 field goals, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range.
St. Thomas extended its run to 9-0 after the second media timeout, narrowing the margin to seven points at 55-48. But Minnesota responded with a 9-0 run to push itslead back to 64-48 with 9:05 remaining. A pair of 3-pointers by Bjerke keyed a responding 9-0 St. Thomas run to once again make it a seven-point game with 5:51 left.
Six points from Crocker-Johnson and an Evans 3-pointer with 3:19 left helped the Gophers outscore the Tommies 12-5 in the final 5:50 and seal the 76-62 win.
The Gophers hit the road for the first time on Monday, Nov. 6, as they'll face the Cincinnati Bearcats of the Big 12 at Fifth Third Arena for a 6:00 p.m. CST tipoff on ESPN+.
It was the first meeting between the schools since Dec. 11, 1934 and Gophers improved to 7-1 all-time against the Tommies and 1-0 since the they became Division 1.
Asuma bested his previous career-high of 18 points by making 6 of 10 field goals, including 4 of 7 3-pointers, and 4 of 4 free throws. He added six rebounds in 37 minutes. Crocker-Johnson recorded his seventh career point-rebound double-double (fourth at Minnesota), finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists. Nolan Groves came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points to go with 7 boards, and Grayson Grove narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds.
As a team, Minnesota made 23 of 60 (.383) field goals, including 11 of 35 (.314) from 3-point range, and 19 of 22 (.864) free throws. The Gophers struggled from the field in the second half, making just 8 of 32 field goals, 4 of 19 (.211) from distance, but the thing that helped them fight off St. Thomas and secure the win was going 16 of 17 (.941) at the line in that final 20 minutes.
Kyan Evans added 8 points, 4 rebounds, and a team-high 4 assists for the Gophers, who improved to 15-4 at The Barn under Niko Medved. St. Thomas was led by Jeremy Lorenz with 13 points and 5 rebounds, while Hayden Tibbits had 12 points. The Tommies made 20 of 59 (.339) field goals, including 9 of 36 (.250) from 3-point range, and 13 of 18 (.722) free throws. Minnesota used its size to outrebound St. Thomas, 50-31.
St. Thomas built an early 6-2 lead on a Tibbits 3-pointer and a three-point play by Austin Herro, but the Gophers responded with a three-point play by Grove and a Crocker-Johnson layup for a 7-6 lead, and Crocker-Johnson's first 3-pointer of the game made it 10-9 at the 16:03 mark.
A Groves 3-pointer put the Gophers up 13-11, and the second three-point play from Grove helped the Gophers extend the lead to 17-13. A three-point play by Julius Wade pulled St. Thomas within one, but Minnesota responded with a 16-0 run over the next five minutes, with Asuma hitting four 3-pointers and scoring 14 points to stretch the lead to 33-16 with 6:48 left until the half.
Layups by Grove and Cedric Tomes, and the third 3-pointer from Groves extended the run to 23-4 for a 40-20 Gophers lead with 1:01 remaining, and Minnesota settled on a 40-22 halftime advantage. Asuma led Minnesota with his 14 points at the break, with Groves adding 9 points, and Grove totaling 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Minnesota made 15 of 28 (.536) first-half field goals, including 7 of 16 (.438) 3-pointers, were 3 of 5 at the free throw line, and had a 25-14 rebounding advantage. Lorenz led the Tommies with 5 points in the first half. St, Thomas struggled offensively, making 7 of 31 (.226) field goals, including just 2 of 19 (.105) from 3-point range.
Crocker-Johnson's second 3-pointer briefly gave the Gophers a 21-point lead at 45-24 early in the second half, but 3-pointers from Carter Bjerke, Jono Wilkinson, and Tibbits, and a three-point play by Lorenz, trimmed Minnesota's lead to 49-36 with 16:38 remaining.
Crocker-Johnson, Bobby Durkin, and Groves all made 3-pointers as the Gophers led 55-39 at the first media timeout with 15:34 left, but a 4-0 St. Thomas run pulled the Tommies within 12 at 55-43. Over the opening eight minutes of the second half, the Tommies made 6 of 11 field goals, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range.
St. Thomas extended its run to 9-0 after the second media timeout, narrowing the margin to seven points at 55-48. But Minnesota responded with a 9-0 run to push itslead back to 64-48 with 9:05 remaining. A pair of 3-pointers by Bjerke keyed a responding 9-0 St. Thomas run to once again make it a seven-point game with 5:51 left.
Six points from Crocker-Johnson and an Evans 3-pointer with 3:19 left helped the Gophers outscore the Tommies 12-5 in the final 5:50 and seal the 76-62 win.
The Gophers hit the road for the first time on Monday, Nov. 6, as they'll face the Cincinnati Bearcats of the Big 12 at Fifth Third Arena for a 6:00 p.m. CST tipoff on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's BasketballTeam Stats
UST
MINN
FG%
.339
.383
3FG%
.250
.314
FT%
.722
.864
RB
31
50
TO
6
11
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
4
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Saturday, November 07
Friday, November 06
Thursday, November 05
Tuesday, November 03