26 January 2024
Parker Bjorklund single-handedly kept St. Thomas in the game in the first half against the North Dakota State Bison on Thursday night at Schoenecker Arena.
He got a lot of help from his friends in the second half, as the Tommies overcame a six-point halftime deficit to pull away for a 79-66 win over the Bison to improve to 14-7 overall and 4-2 in the Summit League.
Bjorklund finished with a game-high 32 points, including 16 at halftime. Raheem Anthony, who had four points in the first half, finished with 15, including seven straight during a pivotal point in the second half.
Kendall Blue, held to two points in the first half, finished with 11.
NDSU was led by Noah Feddersen, who scored 20 points. Leading scorer Andrew Morgan (16 points per game), a junior from Waseca, was held to two points.
The Tommies held NDSU to 24 points in the second half.
Both teams shot the ball well off the opening tip, and the game was tied at 15-15 at the first media timeout. Bjorkland had nine of the Tommies’ 15 points after hitting three 3s.
The teams traded baskets until the final four minutes of the half, when the Bison created some separation.
A 3-point basket by Feddersen gave the Bison a 37:29 lead with one minute, 38 seconds to play in the half. NDSU’s lead grew to nine points with just under a minute to play when Feddersen connected on another 3.
A 3 by Bjorklund at the buzzer cut the Bison’s lead to 42-36 at halftime.
Bjorklund’s 16 first-half points came on 6 of 11 shooting. Feddersen had 14 points on 5 of 6 shooting. The Bison shot 71.4 percent in the first half, including 66.7 percent from 3. NDSU had a 13-7 rebounding advantage for the first 20 minutes.
The Tommies took their first lead of the second half at 50-48 on a driving basket by Bjorklund. When Blue hit a 3 seconds later, which capped a 9-0 run, the Tommies had a five-point lead midday through the second half.
The Tommies took control from that point on, with Anthony doing most of the damage over the next four minutes.
The game was the Tommies’ annual Coaches vs. Cancer game, which brings awareness to cancer screening and helps raise money to end cancer. The St. Thomas coaching staff wore “suits and sneakers” to promote the cause.
Tauer’s wife, Chancey, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2018 before being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020. Because of an early cancer screening in 2020, she was able to beat cancer for the second time.
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