Juniors Jimmy Remke and Cortez Tillman combined to score 30 points off the bench and joined three teammates scoring in double figures to help No. 6-ranked St. Thomas claim another MIAC men's basketball playoff title.
The top-seeded Tommies shot 49 percent from the floor and withstood a potential game-tying trey that rimmed off at the buzzer to edge fourth-seed Bethel, 66-63, Sunday before a full house of 1,500-plus fans at Schoenecker Arena.
St. Thomas (24-3) won its 13th conference playoff crown and eighth in the last 10 seasons. The Toms advance to the 62-team NCAA Division III playoffs for the 10th consecutive season and 16th time in 26 years.
Coach John Tauer's Tommie team will learn its first-round opponent and site on Monday.
The Toms had only eight turnovers and recorded a 30-3 edge in bench scoring to help offset BU's 36-24 rebounding advantage.
Bethel (19-9), which had won seven of its previous eight games, was trying to beat a nationally-ranked team on the road for the third time in 11 days. Brycen Wojta scored a game-high 21 points for BU, which made just 9-of-27 shots in the second half. Kyle Zimmermann had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The see-saw game featured six ties and eight lead changes. UST trailed by eight in the first half but surged and cut the deficit to 34-32 at halftime. After a tense opening stretch of the second half, UST got a pair of 3-point baskets by Remke and one from Marcus Alipate to lead by 57-47 with 7:47 to go.
Bethel answered with an 9-0 run over the next 3:10 to pull within one point, but it never could get a tie or lead in the final 4:24.
UST made just one field goal in the last 7:34 but converted 7-of-8 free throws tries.
Bethel had the ball with 21 seconds left, down three. It passed up a layup try and eventually worked it to Bridgeport Tusler for a tying 3-point try, but his shot was in and out as the final horn sounded.
Remke matched his career high with 16 points as he was 5-for-5 at the foul line and made three 3-pointers. Tillman had 14 points; Shaeffer had 13 points and five assists; Taylor Montero had 11 points; Marcus Alipate scored 10 points, all in the second half; and Conner Nord had nine rebounds.
St. Thomas improved to 14-1 at home this season -- the lone loss in overtime to Bethel 11 days earlier. St. Thomas is 18-1 on campus in postseason play the last eight years.