Minnesota withstands St. Thomas' second-half comeback bid

Isaac Asuma scored 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, and Minnesota secured a 76-62 win over St. Thomas on Friday night in Minneapolis.

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Golden Gophers (2-0). Nolan Groves scored 15 points off the bench.

Jeremy Lorenz scored 13 points to lead St. Thomas (1-1). Hayden Tibbits finished with 12, and Carter Bjerke tallied nine on three 3-pointers.

The Tommies went on a 9-0 run to pull within 55-48 with 10:41 remaining. Caden Wilkins made a driving layup, Tibbits drained a 3-pointer and Kendall Blue capped the run with a layup.

Minnesota responded with a 9-0 spurt to seize a 64-48 advantage with 9:05 remaining. Kyan Evans converted a three-point play, and Asuma made a driving layup to highlight the surge.

The swings continued as St. Thomas responded with another 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 64-57 with 5:51 to play. Bjerke made two 3-pointers, while Wilkins added a layup.

The Golden Gophers held firm the rest of the way. Crocker-Johnson made a 3-pointer to push the lead back to 10 with 5:05 remaining, and Minnesota never looked back.

St. Thomas started strong. Wilkins drew a shooting foul and made both free throws to tie the score at 13 with 13:27 remaining in the first half.

Minnesota responded with a 20-3 run to take a 33-16 lead with 6:48 left in the half. Groves converted a three-point play, and Asuma caught fire from the perimeter with four 3-pointers to help the Golden Gophers surge ahead.

Kendall Blue made a pair of free throws to pull the Tommies within 40-22 just before halftime.