CLINTON, S.C. (Interstat) — Tim Franks scored 24 points and Saint Thomas (Minn.) used a strong start to the second half to beat Presbyterian 87-78 in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game on Monday at Templeton Center. Franks, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound guard from Mequon, Wis., added six rebounds and one assist in 26 minutes for the Tommies. Saint Thomas improved to 1-0. Presbyterian dropped to 0-1. Attendance was 563.

Saint Thomas shot 28 of 51 from the floor, 12 of 24 from 3-point range and 19 of 21 from the free throw line. Presbyterian shot 27 of 60 from the floor, 7 of 28 from beyond the arc and 17 of 25 from the line. Saint Thomas scored 87 points on 67 possessions, an offensive rating of 129.9. Presbyterian scored 78 points on 71 possessions, an offensive rating of 110.1. Presbyterian had an 11-3 advantage in offensive rebounds. Saint Thomas had four assists and nine turnovers. Presbyterian had five assists and 10 turnovers. Presbyterian blocked four shots. Saint Thomas committed 18 fouls, and Presbyterian committed 20.

Triston Wilson led Presbyterian with 19 points, six rebounds, six assists and one block in 36 minutes. Jaylen Peterson added 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists and one block in 31 minutes. EJ Smith scored 18 points with two rebounds and one assist in 25 minutes for the Blue Hose, and Chidi Chiakwelu had five points, five rebounds and two blocks in 17 minutes. For Saint Thomas, Hayden Tibbits had 16 points, two rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes. Jeremy Lorenz had 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and one block in 30 minutes. Austin Herro added eight points, four rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes. Jonovan Wilkinson had seven points, two rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes. Julius Wade had five points and five rebounds in 15 minutes.

Presbyterian opened the scoring with a dunk from Jaylen Peterson, and the Blue Hose led 6-2 after layups from Erik Taylor and Carl Parrish. Saint Thomas tied the game at 6 on Hayden Tibbits’ layup, and Carter Bjerke made a 3-pointer for a 9-6 lead. Chidi Chiakwelu made a dunk, and Jonovan Wilkinson made two free throws for an 11-8 Saint Thomas lead. EJ Smith hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 11. Tim Franks made a 3-pointer for a 14-11 lead, but Triston Wilson answered with a 3-pointer and two free throws to put Presbyterian ahead 16-14. Austin Herro made a layup to tie it at 16, and Jeremy Lorenz made one free throw for a 17-16 Saint Thomas lead. Khalon Hudson made a floating jumper to give Presbyterian an 18-17 edge. Julius Wade hit a 3-pointer, Chidi Chiakwelu made a dunk and Carter Bjerke made a tip-in as the lead changed hands. Khalon Hudson made a layup to tie it at 22, and Jaylen Peterson made a dunk for a 24-22 Presbyterian lead. Julius Wade made a layup to tie it at 24. Iverson King hit a 3-pointer for a 27-24 Presbyterian lead, and Hayden Tibbits answered with a 3-pointer to tie it at 27. Brogan Madson made a layup and Tim Franks made a 3-pointer as Saint Thomas went ahead 32-27. Jeremy Lorenz added a hook shot and two free throws, and Erik Taylor made a floater for Presbyterian before Tim Franks made two free throws and EJ Smith hit a 3-pointer to cut Saint Thomas’s halftime lead to 38-36.

Saint Thomas opened the second half with a 12-1 run. Jeremy Lorenz made a layup, Chidi Chiakwelu made one free throw for Presbyterian, Hayden Tibbits hit a 3-pointer, Tim Franks made a 3-pointer, Jeremy Lorenz made a jumper and Hayden Tibbits made two free throws to give the Tommies a 50-37 lead with 15:21 remaining. Jaylen Peterson made a pullup jumper and a free throw, and EJ Smith made a driving layup as Presbyterian cut the deficit to 52-42. Jonovan Wilkinson made a layup, Jaylen Peterson made a layup and a free throw, and Jeremy Lorenz made a layup for a 56-45 Saint Thomas lead. Triston Wilson made a tip-in and a free throw to make it 56-48. Jonovan Wilkinson hit a 3-pointer, and Jaylen Peterson made one free throw for a 59-49 Saint Thomas lead. Carter Bjerke made a pullup jumper, EJ Smith hit a 3-pointer and Iverson King hit a 3-pointer as Presbyterian pulled to 61-55. Jeremy Lorenz made a 3-pointer, Iverson King made a tip-in and EJ Smith made a layup to cut the deficit to 64-59. Tim Franks made a 3-pointer for a 67-59 Saint Thomas lead. After Triston Wilson made one free throw, Caden Wilkins made a floating jumper and Tim Franks hit another 3-pointer to push the lead to 72-60. Triston Wilson made two free throws for Presbyterian, Jeremy Lorenz made a layup for Saint Thomas, and Jaylen Peterson made a dunk for Presbyterian to make it 74-64. Tim Franks made a 3-pointer for a 77-64 lead. EJ Smith made a layup and Jaylen Peterson made a dunk to cut it to 77-70 with 1:33 remaining. Hayden Tibbits made two free throws, Tim Franks made two free throws and Tibbits added two more free throws as Saint Thomas rebuilt the lead. Triston Wilson made two free throws for Presbyterian, and EJ Smith made a 3-pointer with 26.1 seconds left to make it 85-78. Tim Franks made two free throws to close the scoring.

Saint Thomas next plays at Minnesota, then hosts Green Bay and Macalester. Presbyterian next plays at Georgia, then at North Carolina State before hosting Mercer.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected Saint Thomas 80, Presbyterian 75. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Saint Thomas with a 76.9 percent probability to win. Saint Thomas had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -3.5. The total score of 165 went under the over/under line of 145.5.