Bring Me The News reporter Tony Liebert covered the University of St. Thomas men’s basketball team’s historic first game at the new Lee & Penny Anderson Arena, where the Tommies defeated Army 83–76. The matchup marked the beginning of a new era for St. Thomas athletics, as fans packed the arena to celebrate the team’s Division I success and the future of college basketball in Minnesota.
From the article:
The University of St. Thomas made the unprecedented jump from Division III to Division I before the 2021-22 season. This year is their fifth at the D1 level, and Saturday night felt like their biggest moment as a D1 athletics program. ...
... A longtime Division III program opening a new arena that cost $175 million will obviously add some excitement to a November basketball game, but the Tommies crowd was rocking from start to finish. The media seating was directly behind the St. Thomas student section, which looked 100% full. The arena was not a sellout, but it felt full, which is really all that matters at the end of the day.
The pregame festivities began with an introduction of the namesake of the arena, Lee and Penny Anderson, which prompted the Tommies student section to chant “LEE AND PENNY.” An engaging arena announcer helped create a fiery early game environment. St. Thomas jumped out to an early 32-11 lead against Army.
The energy slowly faded throughout the game, and it bled onto the court. St. Thomas took care of business, but the second half had far less energy; it was still a fun game. The decision to make the arena with a capacity of just over 5,000 was a brilliant idea. It felt loud for the majority of the night. ...
