Nathan Balch

WOOSTER, Ohio — The University of St. Thomas (Minn.), ranked No. 4 in D3hoops.com's preseason poll, put on a clinic inside Timken Gymnasium Saturday night, out executing No. 9 College of Wooster to the tune of an 84-53 final score, as the Tommies won the 16th annual Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic.

The 31-point margin marked the worst loss for Wooster since NCAA Div. II Gannon University routed the Fighting Scots 95-53 on Nov. 23, 1999, and it was Wooster's widest margin of defeat at home in 23 seasons, dating back to a 110-77 loss to Ohio Wesleyan University Jan. 14, 1987.

St. Thomas (2-0) set the tone early, constructing a double-digit lead of 19-8 less than eight minutes into the action. The Tommies knocked down four 3-pointers during that stretch, including two by tournament MVP Tyler Nicolai.

Things never got any better for the Scots (1-2). A few minutes later, they trimmed the deficit to 12 (25-13), only to see Nicolai hit another 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, kick-starting an 11-0 run (36-13). St. Thomas continued to lead by 20-plus, including 48-23 at the halftime break.

The second half turned into a mere formality, with the Tommies leading by 25-to-33 points the whole way.

St. Thomas made seven of its first 11 3-point attempts, and 11-of-19 overall, and shot an identical .579 percentage from the field (33-for-57). The Tommies also outrebounded Wooster 28-21, and helped force the Scots into 18 turnovers. Wooster shot under 50 percent from the floor (.457; 16-for-35), but did connect on 8-of-18 3-pointers (.444).

Nicolai finished with 20 points on 7-of-8 field goals (4-of-5 3-pointers) to lead all players in scoring, while Anders Halvorsen registered 14 on 6-of-7 field goals. Halvorsen nabbed defensive MVP honors as he held the Scots' Justin Hallowell scoreless for the first time in his career.

Also on the all-tournament team from St. Thomas's very balanced squad was reserve Alex Healy, who scored eight points and dished out three assists, tying for team honors in the latter.

The Scots' all-tourney selections were Nathan Balch, who had 16 points in the championship game, including 4-of-5 3-point shooting, and Bryan Wickliffe, who had 13 points and seven rebounds in Friday night's first-round win.

The consolation game took place earlier in the evening, with Carnegie Mellon University coming back from as much as 10 down to knock off Heidelberg University 72-65. The Tartans received double-doubles from both Jack Anderson (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Matthew Pettit (28 points, 11 rebounds). Anderson took up a spot on the all-tournament team, as did Jim Smalley, who led the 'Berg in scoring each night, including 13 against Carnegie Mellon.

Wooster continues its homestand on Tuesday when Ohio Northern University visits at 7:30 p.m.