St. Thomas wins 66-63 thriller over Bethel to claim MIAC Playoff title - Mar 2, 2015

A fantastic week of basketball culminated Sunday at the 2014-15 MIAC Men's Basketball Playoff championship game, and the conclusion was certainly the tournament's exclamation point. The top-seeded University of St. Thomas watch Bethel University's potential game-tying three-pointer rim out at the buzzer, and the Tommies claimed the victory - and the title - in an incredible 66-63 win.

St. Thomas was a step ahead of the Royals twice in the final 10 minutes, only to see Bethel come roaring back both times. The final comeback got it to a one-possession game with 20 seconds remaining and the title on the line. The Royals ran their offense and got Bridgeport Tusler a look at a game-tying three just before the buzzer, but it bounced around the rim and fell out as the final buzzer sounded, and St. Thomas captured its fourth MIAC Playoff title in the last five years, and eighth of the last decade.

With the win, St. Thomas improved to 24-3 this season, and the nation's No. 6-ranked team captured its 13th overall MIAC Playoff title behind its signature balance. Five Tommies scored in double figures, led by 16 points off the bench for Jimmy Remke (6'6''-F). Bethel's (19-9) dynamic duo of Kyle Zimmermann (6'3''-F) and Brycen Wojta (6'0''-PG) also starred in the Playoff finale, as Wojta scored a game-high 21, and Zimmermann had his third-straight Playoff double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.

Neither team showed any championship-game jitters, as fans were treated to a tremendous display of basketball from the opening tap. The visiting Royals came out strong to build a quick 10-7 lead, but St. Thomas got threes from Remke and Cortez Tillman (5'11''-PG) and a Taylor Montero (6'4''-G) free throw for a 7-0 run, and a 14-10 lead. That's when Wojta got going. The Bethel guard scored 10 points over a four minute stretch to help the Royals build a 26-18 lead. St. Thomas answered with a 9-1 run to tie the game, and things stayed tight over the closing minutes and Bethel took a 34-32 lead into the half.

The Royals stayed a step ahead over the first five minutes of the second half, slightly extending the lead to five at 41-36. St. Thomas got a pair of layups from its guards and a Remke three-pointer to re-take the lead, then Remke hit a three and added two free throws around a Marcus Alipate (6'0''-PG) three as St. Thomas pushed its lead out to nine at 54-45 with 7:59 to play. Alipate drilled another three a moment later to give UST its first double-digit advantage.

Down 10, Bethel and Zimmermann weren't ready to concede the title to St. Thomas just yet just yet. The Royals' star forward keyed an 8-0 run with six points in the paint to cut the Tommie lead to just two - 57-55 - with five minutes to play. Wojta knocked down a free-throw to push the run to nine-straight and pull the Royals within a point to set the stage for a fantastic final four minutes.

St. Thomas regained some breathing room with four-straight free throws and a Grant Shaeffer (6'0''-PG) drive to push the lead back to 7 with two minutes to play, but Bethel had one final rally ready. Tusler made a pair of free throws and a three-pointer around two UST free throws, and Wojta hit two more from the line to make it a two point game. The Royals fouled Shaeffer who made the first, but left the second short, and the ball ended up with Bethel to set up the final possession of the game.

Remke's 16 points came on 4-for-8 shooting, include 3-for-6 on threes, to lead UST. Tillman added 14 points, as the duo scored 30 off the Tommie bench to highlight the team's depth. Shaeffer scored 13, Montero had 11 and Alipate - who hit a game-tying shot to force OT in Friday's semifinal to get St. Thomas to Sunday - finished with 10. Conner Nord (6'6''-F) had nine rebounds and Shaeffer had five assists for St. Thomas, which shot 9-for-18 from three, 48.9 percent from the floor and 72.2 percent from the line. The Tommies had just eight turnovers in the win, four fewer than Bethel.

Wojta's game-high 21 points came on 7-for-15 shooting, including 4-for-7 from three to go along with four assists, and Zimmermann was 6-for-11 for his 14 points, got six of his 11 boards on the offensive glass, and added three steals. Tusler also had a great game with 14 points and five rebounds. Bethel won the battle on the boards 36-24 and shot 42.6 percent from the floor, 38.9 percent from three and was 10-for-15 from the line. This was Bethel's first trip to the title game since 2009, where it also lost to UST.

MIAC Tournament Final: St. Thomas - Bethel 66-63
MIAC Tournament Semifinals:
Bethel - St.Olaf 75-67
St. Thomas - Gustavus 83-79, OT

Courtesy of MIAC