MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- St. Thomas men's basketball nearly shocked the world Thursday night in Milwaukee, Wis., but came up just short in a battle at No. 7 Marquette, 84-79.
 
Five Tommies reached double-digit scoring, led by senior Drake Dobbs with 14 points followed by sophomore Kendall Blue with 13. St. Thomas displayed their sharpshooting, sinking a total of 13 three-pointers at a 38.2 percent clip. The Tommies outshot the Golden Eagles, 52.7 percent to 50.0 percent, and scored 25 points off the bench, led by junior Ben Nau with 12 points, who added a team-high six rebounds, and freshman Carter Bjerke with 11.
 
RECAP
In the opening stretch, St. Thomas responded to Marquette's initial push, seizing a 17-15 advantage. Bjerke's consecutive 3-pointers added momentum for the Tommies in a competitive exchange of baskets. Despite Marquette's surge to a 28-19 lead, St. Thomas stayed in the hunt. Graduate student Raheem Anthony's timely 3-pointer helped keep the Tommies in striking distance as the Golden Eagles attempted to pull away.

Approaching halftime, Dobbs capitalized on a late opportunity at the free throw line to keep the Tommies within 10 points, 43-33. Trailing by 12 out of the break, Anthony converted on back-to-back scores to draw within single digits again. Just over three minutes later, Marquette pushed its lead to a game-high 13, 56-43.
 
Momentum began to swing over the next two minutes as Bjerke and Nau unleashed a flurry of 3-pointers, slicing the lead to a mere four points midway through the second half. Despite cutting the lead, the Golden Eagles took another 12-point lead, 68-56, with six minutes to go. Blue, graduate student Parker Bjorklund, and Nau hit the Tommies' next three baskets from behind thee arc as part of a 14-3 run to bring the Purple within one, 73-72. Bjorklund drew a flagrant foul before draining his second 3-pointer within less than one minute to close the Toms' run with just under four minutes to play. In the final minute, despite a late 3-pointer from Brooks Allen, Marquette capitalized on a late turnover and free throws to secure the game.
 
TOP TOMMIES

• Senior Drake Dobbs made his mark with a team high 14 points for St. Thomas and facilitated the offense, dishing out four assists, notching an assist over the past 12 games.
• Sophomore Kendall Blue notched 13 points while shooting 6-of-10 from the field. Alongside scoring, he contributed three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Blue extended his streak to seven consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer.
• Graduate student Parker Bjorklund emerged strong in the second half, contributing 10 points, and securing two rebounds. Bjorklund has now scored double digit points in 18 of his last 21 games.
• Junior Ben Nau scored 12 points off the bench, going 4-of-7 from 3-point range. He also tied his season high in both rebounds with six and assists with two.
• Redshirt freshman Carter Bjerke put up 11 points for the Tommies, going 3-of-4 from long range and 4-of-5 overall. Bjerke has scored double digit points three times this season.

 
QUOTEABLES
Head Coach Johnny Tauer on the resilience and teamwork from St. Thomas during its near upset of No. 7 Marquette:
"It's hard to be prouder of a team. Marquette, just a tremendous amount of respect for them. They're one of the best teams in the country. I think Shaka (Smart) is one of the best coaches in the country. Their culture is elite and when you come into the game, it was going to be a handful on both ends.

"I think the thing I'm most proud of is we got down a couple times, 12-13 points, and Marquette has the kind of offense that a 13-point lead can quickly turn into a 25-point knockout. I thought our guys trusted each other. They kept playing tough together. When you're that close against one of the probably top five teams in the country, it stings to not win, but I think it also certainly demonstrates the growth we've had in the program in only two-plus years of Division I. We talk about Proud Past and Bright Future. Incredibly grateful for the turnout we had from Tommie alums, which was nothing short of spectacular and a lot of those people are the guys that helped build this program and get it where it is. We're excited for a bright future."

UP NEXT
The Tommies head back to Schoenecker Arena to face off against the Crown College Polars. The game will take place at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday, Dec. 17th.

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 -- St. Thomas Athletics --