ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Red-hot St. Thomas blitzed Whitman 99-73 Friday night to advance to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament for the fourth time in eight years and the chance to return to the Final Four.

The No. 8 Tommies (27-3) went on 15-0 and 9-0 runs in the first half to blow open a close a game and lead 54-30 at halftime. They continued to pour it on in the second half, aided by an 19-point feast at the free throw line, and finished with their most points in a game this season.

St. Thomas will play the winner of Friday night's second game, between top-ranked Augustana and No. 25 Emory, for the right to advance to the Final Four March 18-19 in Salem, Va. The Tommies defeated Augustana on its home court five years ago en route to winning the national title.

No. 11 Whitman (24-5) came into Friday's Sweet 16 game having scored 100 or more points eight times this season and averaging 91 points a game. But the Missionaries shot only 41 percent and were held to their second-lowest point total of the year.

The Tommies shot 57 percent for the game. Guard Grant Shaeffer led four Tommies in double figures with 18 points, including 9 of 11 free throws. Jimmy Remke and Cortez Tillman each had 17, with Tillman's points all coming in the first half, and Ryan Saarela had 16.

Close early

The Tommies were up 16-13 when they went on a 15-0 run to open a 31-13 lead with eight minutes to go in the first half, as Tillman hit back-to-back 3-pointers near the end of the run. A 9-0 run featuring another Tillman trey extended the lead to 42-20.

Tillman finished the half with two more 3-pointers from NBA range to give him 17 points in the half, which Shaeffer closed with a layup and free throw to give St. Thomas its largest margin – 24 points – and a 54-30 lead at the break.

The Tommies hit 63 percent of their first-half shots (22 of 35), including eight of 10 3-pointers. Whitman struggled from the field and shot only 36 percent.