Kendall Blue scored 22 points to help St. Thomas outlast Missouri-Kansas City 65-59 on Saturday at Schoenecker Arena.
St. Thomas men’s basketball team turns back Kansas City, takes second in Summit League
Omaha clinched the title with a victory, leaving the Tommies as the second seed for the conference tournament.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
March 2, 2025 at 3:43AM
The Tommies (22-9, 12-4 Summit) and South Dakota State went into the final day of the regular season with a chance to earn a share of the conference regular-season title.
Omaha (19-12, 13-3), which clinched a share of the title Thursday, took the title outright with an 80-57 victory over visiting Oral Roberts on Saturday. South Dakota State (20-11, 11-5) lost 78-62 at Denver on Saturday.
The Tommies will be the No. 2 seed for the conference tournament and play Denver on Thursday night in Sioux Falls.
The Tommies led by three at halftime and by six midway through the second half before Kansas City pulled within 59-58.
Nolan Minessale made four free throws and Blue made two in the final 36 seconds to seal the victory.
Babacar Diallo scored 17 to lead the Roos (12-9, 4-12).
The victory was the 18th in a row at home for the Tommies, who are 38-4 at home over the past three seasons. St. Thomas will move into a new arena next season.
USC won the conference championship outright Saturday night and will be the No. 1 seed; the Gophers are seeded 13th and will play Washington in the first round Wednesday.
