Justin Pahl scored 13 of his 20 points in the second half as second-seed St. Olaf scored a 63-53 win over top-seed St. Thomas in Sunday's MIAC basketball playoff championship game in Schoenecker Arena.

The unranked Oles (22-5) avenged two close losses by a combined five points to St. Thomas this season. They won the school's first MIAC men's basketball playoff crown in the 29-year history of the format. They take the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Junior guard Sterling Nielsen added 16 points, including 11-of-12 at the foul line, and Nathan Kuck score eight points off the bench.

St. Olaf, whose roster includes seven seniors, made 27-of-34 free throws and outscored the Tommies 15-6 over the final 6:47. The Oles never trailed in the final half although St. Thomas pulled within one point on four occasions. 

No. 12-ranked St. Thomas (22-5) got career highs with 18 points and 13 rebounds from sophomore Taylor Montero. Senior Zach Riedeman added 14 points and four assists, and Conner Nord had seven points and seven rebounds. 

The Oles, who rank fourth in Division III in scoring defense at 57.8, helped hold UST to a season-low 53 points. 

It was the first on-campus postseason loss for Tommie men's basketball in six years, ending a 16-0 streak. That includes a 12-0, four-season run prior to Sunday in games in the new Schoenecker Arena.

St. Thomas played its second game in a row without injured senior point guard Erik Tengwall, a three-year starter who's played in 95 career games.

The Tommies will await Monday's NCAA playoff field announcement to see if they receive an at-large berth.