Redshirt freshman Nick Janowski already has showcased a variety of talents this season for the St. Thomas men’s basketball team.

Sunday afternoon at Anderson Arena, he debuted his Nolan Minessale impression.

With Minessale, among the nation’s leading scorers at 22.3 points per game, severely limited due to an ankle injury, the 6-foot-4 Janowski exploded for 31 points and added a team-high seven rebounds as the Tommies (12-4) opened Summit League play with a gritty 92-88 over the Denver Pioneers before an announced crowd of 2,541.

“I honestly didn’t realize how bad Nolan’s ankle was,” Janowski said. “When I realized it was that bad I kind of got in that mode where I know every shot’s going in and I’m as confident as anyone in the world because of my work ethic. I think my teammates just found me in the right spots and allowed me to get to my spots to play free and play the way that I do.”

St. Thomas had a lot of contributors, with Ben Oosterbaan (16 points), Austin Herro (15) and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (12) all reaching double figures. But Janowski, who came into the game averaging 14.4 points per game, proved to be the player the Tommies could lean on, just as Minessale has been all season.

“The job Nick did today was incredible,” said Tommies head coach Johnny Tauer. “Not just the 31 points and 7 rebounds, but he just continues to grow as a player. He’s as competitive as anyone you’ll meet.”

St. Thomas entered the game knowing Minessale’s injury would probably have an impact on how the game played out.

“Coach (Mike) Maker talked to myself and Carter (Bjerke) before the game and just gave us a little rundown,” Janowski said. “I know Nolan, and he’s also as competitive as anyone, and I love him to death for that. So I just figured he would be fine. But it was very obvious out there that there was something wrong, because he wasn’t doing his normal Nolan stuff. So halfway through the first half, when he didn’t have 20 points, that’s when I realized it.”

St. Thomas sophomore guard Nolan Minessale dives for the ball in the Tommies’ win against Denver on Sunday. (Photo courtesy Maddie Kranz)

Minessale was held scoreless in the first half, missing seven shots and going 0-for-3 from the free-throw line.

Asked if Minessale got hurt in practice, Tauer said, “Probably. I don’t honestly know.”

Tauer said Minessale practiced on Saturday, so he knew he was going to give it a shot on Sunday.

Minessale, who played 13-plus minutes in the first half, played less than 10 in the second half and was not on the court down the stretch, with the game on the line.

“You don’t want to aggravate it anymore,” Tauer said, “and other guys were playing well. That, to me, is what makes a team.”

Tauer said the team practiced the last couple of days before the game knowing Minessale likely would be limited.

“It certainly changes things,” Tauer said, “but our offense is sort of its own organism. Some of it is unstructured, and some of what Nolan is doing is an anomaly. Part of what Nick’s doing is remarkable — how he finds ways to score and how he’s efficient.”

The same could be said of Janowski on Sunday. He played a team-high 36 minutes, 29 seconds, and scored in a variety of ways, including three 3s, while making 12 of 22 shots.

The Tommies opened league play as the preseason favorite, and the Pioneers (8-9, 1-1), led by former Minnesota State Moorhead head coach Tim Bergstraser, did all they could to get the team’s quest for an NCAA berth off on the wrong foot.

St. Thomas scored the first five points of the game, but then went cold. They missed 10 of their first 13 shots to fall behind 11-8.

Back-to-back 3s by Oosterbaan and Herro gave the hosts a 14-11 lead. The Tommies’ lead grew to 21-13 after a 3 by Johnson-Arigu.

A 16-8 run by the Pioneers cut St. Thomas’ lead to 1 at 30-29 with five minutes to play in the half. Led by five points from Janowski, the Tommies outscored the Pioneers 13-8 the rest of the way to take a 43-37 lead into the locker room.

The game remained tight throughout the second half. St. Thomas trailed 72-68 with 10 minutes to play. A Herro 3 put them up 73-72. Janowski then hit a pair of free throws and followed with a 3-point play to give the Tommies a 78-74 lead.

Johnson-Arigu helped secured the victory when he grabbed an offensive rebound with 23 seconds to play and St. Thomas up 88-85. He made one of two free throws for the final margin of victory.

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