Saint John's (14-10, 11-8 MIAC) ends its regular season this Saturday, Feb. 20, at Gustavus Adolphus (14-10, 12-7 MIAC). Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Lund Center in St. Peter. – Listen Live | Watch Live | Live Stats
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's stayed in contention for a home MIAC Playoff game with a 65-62 win over Hamline on Feb. 17 in Collegeville. The Johnnies, who led by as much as 15 three minutes into the second half, surrendered the lead with 3:36 left thanks to a 6:31 span without a made field goal. The Pipers went on a 13-3 run during that same span. A layup from junior Aaron Burtzel (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) tied the game at 59-59 with 2:09 left before fellow junior Sam Blank (Rollingstone, Minn./Winona Cotter) drilled a 16-footer a minute later to give SJU the lead for good. Burtzel ended the game with 14 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for his 11th double-double of the season and 17th of his career. The 13 boards moved him into third place all-time on the school's known rebounding list, while the six assists moved him into fifth place with 289. Junior Todd Herman (Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer) followed with 13 points, while Blank and sophomore Aaron Barmore (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) added 10 points apiece. SJU held the MIAC's leading scorer, Ray Brown, to seven points on two of 11 shooting. The Johnnies shot 40.4 percent in the game despite shooting at a 50.0 (11-22) clip in the second half. SJU was just 3-for-14 from behind the arc.
A LOOK AT THE GUSTIES: The Gusties have gone 1-3 in their last four games, including a 75-51 loss at the hands of MIAC-leading St. Thomas on Feb. 17. The Tommies shot 57.4% (31-54) in the game, while Gustavus shot just 36.4% (20-55). Ryan McPartland (5-6) led Gustavus with 10 points. Gustavus went into the halftime break trailing 11-points with the score 39-28. Gustavus had a 7-0 run that cut the lead to two points (17-15) with just under 11 minutes remaining in the first half. It would be the closest the Gusties would come, as St. Thomas answered with a 12-2 run. Gustavus went just 3-for-11 (27.3%) from behind the arc in the game, yet shot a perfect 8-for-8 form the free throw line. St. Thomas went 5-for-12 (41.7%) from three point range, going 8-for-10 from the line. Gustavus now sits tied with Augsburg in second place in the MIAC standings with a 12-7 record.
THE LAST MEETING: Gustavus out-scored Saint John's 18-8 in the game's final six minutes to defeat the Johnnies 76-65 on Jan. 18 in Collegeville. The Johnnies had an opportunity to take the lead with 5:49 left in regulation, but Burtzel missed both free throws to leave the score at 58-57 in favor of Gustavus. The Gusties then went on a 10-0 run for the next 3:32; a stretch in which SJU went 0-for-6 from the floor and 0-for-3 from the free-throw line. Blank led all scorers with 18 points, all of which came from behind the arc. Burtzel tallied 15 points and 13 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season and 14th of his career. McPartland and Phil Wirtjes scored 15 points apiece to lead GAC, while Jesse Van Sickle added 14.
MIAC PLAYOFFS: An SJU win Saturday would put the Gusties and Johnnies in a tie at 12-8 in the MIAC, though GAC holds the tie-breaker due to its win over St. Thomas earlier in the season. Augsburg will either finish at 12-8 or 13-7 depending on its game with Saint Mary's Friday evening. Carleton can improve to 12-8 as well if it earns a road victory at Bethel Saturday. Hamline, on the other hand, will need a home win against No. 3 St. Thomas Saturday to get to 12-8. All in all, the Johnnies will need a win Saturday along with losses from Augsburg, Carleton and Hamline in order to secure a home MIAC Playoff game (either the No. 3 or 4 seed) this Tuesday, Feb. 23.
