SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- St. Thomas used a 29-2 run spanning eight of the first half on the way to a 63-50 win over Sacramento State on Saturday evening at Schoenecker Arena.
After the Hornets took their largest lead of the contest at 14-6, St. Thomas ripped off a 29-2 run spanning eight minutes of clock to take a commanding 35-16 lead with three minutes left in the first half. The Tommies led by at least 11 points the remainder of the contest, and took advantage of a large free throw disparity that saw St. Thomas go 16-for-19 from the line while the Hornets were just 5-of-7.
Free throws were a huge issue, especially in the first half. St. Thomas was already in the bonus at the 10:06 mark of the first half, and was 10-for-10 from the free throw line before Sacramento State took its first trip to the charity stripe. The Hornets outscored the Tommies in the second half (28-27) after going into halftime with a 36-22 deficit.
Today marked the second and final game of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge, which began on Wednesday and concluded today. The event featured each program in the Big Sky playing one home game, and one road game, against teams from the Summit League. The Hornets finished the tournament with a 1-1 record, which included a home victory over Kansas City on Wednesday. The Big Sky finished the event with an 11-7 record against the Summit.
Sacramento State, which was playing its final non-conference game of the regular season, dropped to 4-11 overall. Ten of the team's 15 games thus far have come away from home. The Hornets will jump back into Big Sky play next week when they host Weber State and Idaho State.
St. Thomas, picked to finish fourth in the Summit League preseason poll, improved to 12-5 and won its sixth game in a row. The Tommies also improved to 7-0 at home. Sacramento State and St. Thomas were playing each other for the first time ever.
Both teams shot 43% from the field, and the Hornets converted on one more field goal (SAC 21-49, ST 20-47). However, the Tommies converted on four more 3-pointers and 11 more free throws. Sacramento State finished just 3-of-21 from long range. The Hornets held a 33-26 advantage in the rebounding department, and 32-24 in points in the paint, but St. Thomas had a 22-9 advantage in points off turnovers and 14-2 in fast break points.
The Hornets were led by
Duncan Powell's 16 points and six rebounds. The sophomore shot 7-for-10 from the field and led the team in scoring for the eighth time this season.
Jacob Holt also finished in double figures as he scored 10 points on 4-of-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free throw line.
Austin Patterson added nine points, five rebounds and two assists.
Point guard
Emil Skytta had five points, four assists and was a team-best +8 in plus/minus.
Zee Hamoda had just two points, but also registered four rebounds, two assists and three steals. The three steals were the most by a Hornet this season.
The Hornets are back in action next week when they host Weber State on Thursday at 6 p.m., followed by a matchup vs. Idaho State on Saturday at 6 p.m. Sacramento State's first two conference games came last week on the road at Idaho and Eastern Washington.
