ST. PAUL, Minn. – The No. 5-ranked University of St. Thomas used a 12-2 run midway through the second half to pull away on its way to a 94-73 victory over the St. Olaf College men's basketball team in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) matchup on Wednesday evening at Schoenecker Arena.

St. Thomas (11-1, 7-0 MIAC) led by just two, 63-61, with 9:37 to go before scoring 12 of the next 14 points to open up a 12-point lead and led St. Olaf (6-6, 3-4 MIAC) by double digits the rest of the way. The loss was the second in a row to a top-10 opponent for the Oles.

Junior Dominic Bledsoe scored a team-high 15 points for St. Olaf, while seniors Nate Albers and Troy Diggins Jr. each had 13. Diggins Jr. added a game-high 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

The Oles made their first four shots from the field to take a 9-5 lead after three minutes before the Tommies rattled off seven-straight points to go ahead. Later in the half, St. Olaf held a 23-20 advantage until Anders Nelson scored the final five points of another 7-0 run to swing the lead back to St. Thomas.

Sophomore Nathan Hendler and first year Jake Weber sank three-pointers on consecutive possessions to kickstart a 10-0 run by St. Olaf that gave the Oles a 35-32 lead with 4:48 to go in the half. The Tommies eventually took a 45-40 lead into the locker room after Nelson and Elijah Hannah combined for 25 first-half points.

St. Olaf climbed within a point, 51-50, with 13:29 to go in the contest, with Diggins Jr. and sophomore Carter Uphus combining for the first eight Ole points in the second half. A three-pointer by Bledsoe with 9:37 remaining made it a 63-61 lead for St. Thomas, but Tommy Anderson scored the next 12 points for the Tommies as part of a decisive 12-2 run that created a double-digit lead.

Anderson tallied 15 of his 18 points in the second half for St. Thomas, which led by as many as 23 down the stretch. Anderson was one of four in double figures on the night for the Tommies, who shot 46.9 percent (30-for-64) from the field as a team.

Hannah came off the bench to score a game-high 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting in just 20 minutes for St. Thomas, which enjoyed a 45-22 advantage in bench points in the win. Anderson added seven rebounds to his 18 points, Nelson tallied 16 points and Zach Theisen chipped in with 12 points off the bench for the Tommies.

St. Olaf plays five of its next six games at home, beginning with a 1 p.m. matchup with crosstown rival Carleton on Saturday, Jan. 11 to start a MIAC doubleheader at Skoglund Center.