The SJU basketball team (6-4, 2-3 MIAC) looks to get back on track at Concordia (7-4, 3-3 MIAC) this Saturday, Jan. 8. The game is set for 3 p.m. at the Memorial Auditorium in Moorhead. – Listen Live | Live Stats | Watch Live
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Macalester snapped its 52-game MIAC losing streak and its 26-game losing streak overall with a 90-81 win over Saint John's on Jan. 5 in Collegeville. The Scots (1-8, 1-4 MIAC) shot 56.7 percent in the first half, including an 8-for-12 performance from three-point range (66.7 percent), to lead by as much as 20 and post a 44-26 lead at the intermission. The Johnnies, meanwhile, shot just 29.6 percent from the field in the game's first 20 minutes. Macalester led by 21 with just over eight minutes left, but SJU chipped the deficit down to as little as eight with 47 seconds left. The Johnnies outscored Mac 55-46 in the second half.
MACALESTER DISSECTION: SJU shot 29.6 percent in the first half and finished with a .368 shooting percentage for the game, a decline of nearly 13 percent from the Johnnies' season average. In total, SJU missed a total of 13 layups (from three feet or less) and made only one jump shot out of 16 attempts from inside the arc.
Paint: 16-29
Jumpers: 1-16
Three-Pointers: 8-23
BURTZEL SETS CAREER HIGH: Senior Aaron Burtzel (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) led all scorers with a career-high 28 points, 23 of which came in the second half, and added 13 rebounds, four assists and four steals in Wednesday's loss. The double-double was Burtzel's fourth consecutive and 21st of his career. He was seven of 12 from the floor and 14-for-17 from the free-throw line. The rest of the Johnnies combined to shoot 18 of 56 (32.1 percent) from the field.
Burtzel currently leads the MIAC (conference games only) in rebounding (11.0 rpg.), is second in both assists (5.20 apg.) and minutes played (36.60 mpg.), and sixth in scoring (16.6 ppg.). He needs 63 points to become the 32nd player in school history to reach 1,000 career points.
BURNS ATOP MIAC LIST: Junior Andy Burns (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) leads the conference (MIAC games only) with an average of 2.2 steals per game and is third with 2.4 three-pointers made per game.
A LOOK AT THE COBBERS: Concordia enters Saturday's game riding a four-game winning streak, including Wednesday's 80-74 victory over Augsburg. Senior John Fraase posted a season-high 25 points and 11 rebounds in the win. He leads the Cobbers in scoring (13.4 ppg.) and rebounding (7.6 rpg.), while senior Darrin Olmscheid is close behind with an average of 12.4 points per game. Fraase has averaged 12.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists with a .566 shooting percentage in five previous games against SJU. He has shined in the series at home, averaging 12.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists with a .612 shooting percentage.
COLD SHOOTING IN MOORHEAD: The Johnnies have averaged a .351 shooting percentage (60-171) in the last three trips to Memorial Auditorium, including a lousy 26.8 percent (15-56) from three-point range. All three games resulted in losses for SJU.
SERIES HISTORY: SJU is 67-28 all-time against Concordia under the direction of head coach Jim Smith, including a 25-23 mark in Moorhead. The Johnnies have lost each of the last three meetings, and five of the last seven, in Moorhead.
