For one half of basketball Thursday night at Anderson Arena, it was just like old times for St. Thomas and St. John’s. The Tommies invited the Johnnies to their sparkling new arena on campus to pay homage to the two schools’ Division III rivalry that dates back to 1923. The game was an exhibitio n for the Johnnies and an expected runaway for the Tommies. A 35-31 Tommies halftime lead put things in an entirely different light. But the second half brought a return to normalcy, as the Tommies (8-4) outscored the Johnnies 45-25 en route to an 80-56 victory before a sellout crowd of 5,325. “Everybody has predictions, and that’s a great thing,” said St. Thomas coach Johnny Tauer, “because there is a lot of interest. But I told people, go look at our first year of Division I, when we were starting five former Division III players. “Of our 30 games, I bet you five of them we got blown out. The other 25 we battled, and a lot of times the last five minutes things would slip away a little. “I didn’t want the game to be close at halftime, but I’m not surprised.” Tauer, who experienced the rivalry as a coach and a player, made it clear to his players beforehand that the Johnnies were not going to go down quietly. Part of his preparation was showing film of some of the teams’ intense games over the years. The teams last met in the 2020-21 season, St. Thomas’ final season in the MIAC, with the Tommies winning both games. “We could see (fans) from St. John’s getting kicked out and guys from St. Thomas getting kicked out,’ said Tommies guard Nolan Minessale, who led all scorers with 30 points. “It was rowdy, so it was really interesting to see.” The game quickly sold out when it was announced as part of the schedule, and the Johnnies were well represented. “Our coaches told us that there might be more red (in the stands) than purple,” said Tommies forward Isaiah Johnson-Arugu. “It was a fun environment. At the end of the game I saw some St. John’s fans go in the (Tommies) student section and get booed out. It was a great atmosphere.” The Tommies started slow, making only three of their first 11 shots, and after hitting a pair of 3s the Johnnies led 8-6 five minutes into the game. The Tommies took an 11-10 lead midway through the first half, but a jumper by Kyle Johnson and a 3 by Evan Weichert put the Johnnies up 15-11. The Tommies regained the lead at 17-15 thanks to a pair of fast-break dunks by Johnson- Arigu. A Johnson 3 allowed the Johnnies to pull even at 25-25, but Minessale scored the next seven points to force a St. John’s timeout with just over four minutes to play in the half. Another Minessale basket gave the Tommies a 34-25 lead, but the Johnnies finished the first half on a 6-1 run. The Tommies began to take control of the game early in the second half. The lead grew to 44-33 in the first five minutes. A Carter Bjerke 3 gave the Tommies a 54-41 lead with just under 12 minutes to play. A 3 by Jermaine Coleman that beat the buzzer, the Tommies led 61-43 with eight minutes to play. They led comfortably for the remainder of the game. “They played tough, together, smart,” Tauer said of the Johnnies. “They had a game plan. We didn’t shoot as well as we’d like, but I loved the poise and composure that our guys played with. There’s a lot to learn from every game, and tonight was certainly one of those.” St. Thomas guard Nick Janowski dribbles the ball against a St. John's defender during a game in St. Paul on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Nick Wosika / University of St. Thomas) Briefly The Tommies extended their home winning streak to 23 games. … The Tommies next play on Saturday at North Carolina-Asheville. ...read more read less