Joe Scott scored 25 points, and his four free throws in the final 90 seconds helped St. Thomas hold off Gustavus Adolphus 76-68 on Saturday in MIAC men's basketball in St. Paul.
The Tommies clinched a bye for the first round of the MIAC playoffs and tightened their hold on first place in the league standings over the second-place Gusties.
B.J. Viau added 13 points and five rebounds and Teddy Archer scored 10 off the bench for the Tommies, who had only nine turnovers and shot 48 percent.
Gustavus cut an 18-point deficit to two points with 4:40 left. But sophomore center Sam Eicher scored all six off his points off the bench over the next two minutes to keep the Tommies ahead, and Scott hit a three-point shot with 2:30 left for a 70-64 lead.
Seniors Andrew Doble and Trevor Wittwer keyed the Gusties' late rally. Doble scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half and had a game-high seven rebounds. Wittwer scored 12 of his 14 points after halftime.
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