Saint John's looks to make it five straight as it plays host to Concordia-Moorhead this Saturday, Jan. 9. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Sexton Arena in Collegeville. – Listen Live | Live Stats
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (8-3, 5-1 MIAC) extended its winning streak to four games with a 77-62 win over Augsburg on Jan. 6 in Collegeville. Aaron Barmore (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) recorded a career-high 20 points to lead the Johnnies. The 6-foot-5 sophomore entered the contest ranked third in the MIAC with a .586 shooting percentage (conference games only) and ended the night nine of 14 from the floor. Sophomore Andy Burns (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) added 16 points, thanks in part to a 4-for-7 night from three-point land. Juniors Aaron Burtzel (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) and Chris Schwartz (Sioux Falls, S.D./Lincoln) tallied 11 points apiece. Burtzel entered the night as the MIAC's top shooter (.732) and finished the night 5-for-6 from the floor. He also added eight rebounds and seven assists. The Auggies scored the game's first five points before the Johnnies (8-3, 5-1 MIAC) went on a 13-0 run to open a lead they would never relinquish. Augsburg entered the game with the MIAC's top three-point shooting percentage at .455 (conference games only), but SJU, on the other hand, boasted the MIAC's top three-point defense at 32.2 percent. The latter presented the proper effect as Augsburg shot just 14.3 percent (2-14) from behind the arc. The Auggies were a perfect 14 of 14 from the free-throw line, however, while SJU was 5-for-10.
A LOOK AT THE COBBERS: Concordia enters Saturday's contest having won five of its last six games, including a 76-54 win over Macalester at home Wednesday night. The Cobbers lone loss during that stretch was a 68-52 loss to Augsburg on Jan. 4. Junior Darrin Olmscheid leads Concordia with an average of 14 points per game, while fellow junior John Fraase is averaging a double-double with 11.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game (he has a total of five so far this season). The Cobbers come into the game with a 35.2-32.5 edge in rebounding, though the Johnnies hold a 34.8-34.7 edge in conference games only. SJU is 66-27 all-time against Concordia-Moorhead under the direction of head coach Jim Smith, including a 41-5 record in Collegeville. SJU has won 14 of the last 16 meetings at Sexton Arena.
LAST SEASON'S MATCHUPS: SJU and Concordia split last season's series, with the home team earning the victory in each instance. Burtzel posted a double-double in the second half to lead the Johnnies to a 57-49 win on Feb. 7 in Collegeville. He totaled 10 points and 10 rebounds in the game's final 20 minutes, ending the afternoon with 16 points and 12 rebounds to record his second consecutive double-double and sixth of the season. Down 33-27 with 16:59 remaining, SJU went on an 11-0 run to take a 38-33 lead with just over 13 minutes left. SJU shot just 39.6 percent from the floor in the game, but outrebounded Concordia 38-24 and held an 8-0 advantage in second-chance points in the contest. The Johnnies also scored 15 points off the Cobbers' nine turnovers in the game.
Earlier in the season, SJU surrendered a nine-point lead with 4:41 remaining in a 62-59 loss at Concordia-Moorhead on January 10 in Moorhead. The Cobbers, which shot 60.0 percent (18-30) in the second half, dissolved the Johnnies' nine-point lead with a 17-5 run to end the game. Barmore led the Johnnies with a then-career-high 16 points, while Schwartz added 13. Burtzel posted six points with 11 rebounds and nine assists for SJU.
