Isaac Asuma gave Minnesota the spark it needed Friday night, and the Golden Gophers turned a brief local reunion into a comfortable 76-62 win over St. Thomas in Minneapolis.
Asuma finished with 20 points and hit four of Minnesota’s 11 3-pointers, while Jaylen Crocker-Johnson added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Minnesota never let the Tommies fully settle in once the Gophers’ perimeter game started rolling.
The key stretch came late in the first half, when Asuma buried all four of his 3s during a 16-0 run that pushed Minnesota in front 33-16. St. Thomas had a rough closing stretch before halftime, going just 2 of 18 from the field over the final 11 minutes.
Minnesota kept the pressure on right away after the break. Crocker-Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer in the opening minute of the second half to stretch the margin to 45-24.
St. Thomas did make things interesting twice, trimming the deficit to seven in the second half.
Minnesota answered the first push with a 9-0 burst, then responded to the second by scoring five straight. Kyan Evans’ lone made 3-pointer of the night put the Gophers up 72-60 with three minutes remaining.
Nolan Groves chipped in 15 points and three 3-pointers off the bench, and Grayson Grove finished with 10 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota (2-0), which followed up an 85-50 win over North Dakota. The Gophers improved to 99-6 against Summit League teams.
Jeremy Lorenz led St. Thomas with 13 points, and Hayden Tibbits added 12 for the Tommies (1-1), who opened their season with an 87-78 win over Presbyterian.
St. Thomas is projected to finish second in the Summit League this season.
The game marked the first meeting between the programs since 1934, and the first since St. Thomas moved to Division I in 2021. Minnesota went 6-1 against the Tommies when they were Division III, from 1907-34.
St. Thomas hosts Green Bay on Sunday, while Minnesota plays at Cincinnati on Monday.
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 🡒]