Isaac Asuma gave Minnesota the early jolt, and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson helped finish the job.
Asuma poured in 14 of his career-high 20 points before halftime, Nolan Groves provided a spark off the bench, and the Gophers pulled away early enough to beat St. Thomas 76-62 on a night that brought 10,604 fans to The Barn by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
Minnesota is now 2-0, while St. Thomas fell to 1-1.
The matchup also carried a long gap in the series, with the schools meeting for the first time since Dec. 11, 1934.
The Gophers improved to 7-1 all-time against the Tommies and 1-0 since they became Division 1.
Asuma was sharp from the start, finishing with 20 points on 6 of 10 shooting, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range, while also going 4 for 4 at the line and grabbing six rebounds in 37 minutes. Crocker-Johnson added 16 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists for his seventh career point-rebound double-double, and his fourth at Minnesota.
Groves turned in a career night as well, scoring 15 points with seven rebounds. Grayson Grove nearly joined the double-double club, finishing with 10 points and 9 rebounds.
Minnesota’s size showed up on the glass, where it owned a 50-31 rebounding edge. Kyan Evans chipped in 8 points, 4 rebounds and a team-high 4 assists, and the Gophers improved to 15-4 at The Barn under Niko Medved.
The first half belonged to Minnesota after a brief St. Thomas push.
The Tommies opened with a 6-2 lead behind a Hayden Tibbits 3-pointer and a three-point play from Austin Herro, but the Gophers answered with a three-point play from Grove and a Crocker-Johnson layup to go ahead 7-6. Crocker-Johnson then knocked down his first 3-pointer of the game to make it 10-9 at the 16:03 mark.
From there, Minnesota started to separate. A Groves 3-pointer put the Gophers up 13-11, Grove added another three-point play, and then Asuma took over.
His four 3-pointers fueled a 16-0 run that stretched the lead to 33-16 with 6:48 left in the half. Layups from Grove and Cedric Tomes, along with another Groves 3, pushed the run to 23-4 and made it 40-20 with 1:01 remaining before Minnesota settled for a 40-22 halftime edge.
Asuma had 14 at the break, Groves had 9, and Grove posted 8 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Minnesota shot 15 of 28 in the first half, including 7 of 16 from deep, while St. Thomas struggled badly, making just 7 of 31 shots and 2 of 19 from 3-point range.
The second half was messier for Minnesota, but the Gophers kept finding enough answers. Crocker-Johnson’s second 3-pointer made it 45-24 early in the period, though St. Thomas answered with threes from Carter Bjerke, Jono Wilkinson and Tibbits, plus a Lorenz three-point play, to cut the margin to 49-36 with 16:38 left.
Minnesota briefly steadied itself with 3-pointers from Crocker-Johnson, Bobby Durkin and Groves, building a 55-39 lead at the first media timeout. But the Tommies kept hanging around, trimming it to 55-43 and then 55-48 during a 9-0 run that made things uncomfortable again.
The Gophers responded each time. A 9-0 burst pushed the lead back to 64-48 with 9:05 left, only for St.
Thomas to answer with another 9-0 run, sparked by two Bjerke 3-pointers, to get within seven at 64-57 with 5:51 remaining. Minnesota closed it out from there, getting six points from Crocker-Johnson and a Kyan Evans 3-pointer in the final 3:19 to outscore the Tommies 12-5 over the last 5:50.
Minnesota finished 23 of 60 from the field, 11 of 35 from 3-point range and 19 of 22 at the line. The Gophers were only 8 of 32 in the second half and 4 of 19 from deep after the break, but they went 16 of 17 at the free throw line in the final 20 minutes to hold off St. Thomas.
The Tommies shot 20 of 59 overall, 9 of 36 from 3-point range and 13 of 18 at the line. Jeremy Lorenz led them with 13 points and 5 rebounds, while Hayden Tibbits added 12.
Minnesota now heads on the road for the first time Monday, Nov. 6, when it faces Cincinnati of the Big 12 at Fifth Third Arena. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. CST on ESPN+.
In Other News...
Gophers Let St. Thomas Make This Rivalry Opener Uncomfortable
The first regular-season meeting between Minnesota and St. Thomas in nearly a century had the feel of a rivalry game from the start, even if the programs are still writing the first real chapters of this one. Hosting the Tommies, the Gophers had to navigate a game that was tighter than the matchup on paper suggested, with Isaac Asuma providing the biggest scoring punch and Minnesota leaning on efficient work at the line to stay in control.
St. Thomas made things uncomfortable with a second-half push, turning what looked like a straightforward home win into something the Gophers had to manage possession by possession. Minnesota ultimately finished off a 76-62 victory, but the Tommies showed enough resistance to make this opener feel more like a rivalry than a novelty, and it offered a reminder that the next time these two meet, the early edge will not come easily. [Read more 🡒]
Gophers Face One Brutal Test If They Want To Shock UCLA
Minnesota gets an early spotlight Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium, where the Gophers will try to rebound from an overtime loss to Indiana against an undefeated UCLA team that has looked every bit like a contender. The matchup comes at 11 a.m. on FOX, with KFXN-100.3 FM carrying the radio call, and it sets up as a stiff challenge for a Minnesota group sitting at 5-3 and still searching for steadier offensive footing.
The problem is the Bruins bring the kind of defense that can make every possession feel like a test, especially for a Gophers offense that has had trouble finding rhythm against top competition. Minnesota is also dealing with some injury concerns at key spots, which only adds to the pressure on a Saturday that already asks a lot of the home team. If the Gophers are going to spring an upset, they will have to find answers quickly and keep the game from turning into the kind of field-position grind UCLA tends to win. [Read more 🡒]
Gophers Let Local Rival Hang Around Before Finally Pulling Away
Minnesota had enough early to make this one look routine for a while at The Barn, building a lead as large as 21 points in the first half against St. Thomas in the first meeting between the in-state programs since the Tommies moved to Division I in 2021-22. The Gophers eventually finished off a 76-62 win, but the game had the feel of a local rivalry that still needs a little seasoning before it settles into a familiar rhythm.
St. Thomas did not go quietly, which is part of what made the second half worth watching for Minnesota fans. The Tommies chipped away enough to turn a comfortable afternoon into something more tense than expected before the Gophers steadied themselves and closed it out, a reminder that even a matchup that starts with a lopsided score can still carry some edge when the opponent is just down the road. [Read more 🡒]