Saint John's (1-1, 0-0 MIAC) plays host to No. 24 Wisconsin-Stevens Point (3-0, 0-0 WIAC) for its home opener this Tuesday, Nov. 22. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Sexton Arena in Collegeville. – Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats

Preview Video:
-Head coach Jim Smith (2:02)

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's made 14 of 17 free throws in the second half and dissolved an eight-point deficit to defeat St. Scholastica 69-67 on Nov. 19 in St. Cloud. SJU found itself down 38-33 at halftime thanks to the Saints' 60.9-percent effort from the field. The tides turned however, as CSS shot just 39.3 percent in the game's final 20 minutes. Sophomore Seth Marx (Maple Grove, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) led the Johnnies with 17 points and nine rebounds. Seniors Andy Burns (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) and Aaron Barmore (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) followed with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Ten of Burns' 14 points came in the second half.

SJU fought back from a significant first-half deficit but could not outdo NCAA Division II St. Cloud State in a 67-58 loss to the Huskies in the season opener Friday. SCSU went on a 22-4 run during an eight-minute stretch late in the first half to build a 22-point deficit. SJU was whistled for 10 fouls and committed seven turnovers in the game's first 10 minutes. The Huskies built a 41-27 lead at the half after shooting 61.9 percent and boasting a 19-5 advantage on the boards. The second half was a bit different for the Huskies, however, as the home team shot just 33.3 percent (9-27), including 1-for-10 from beyond the arc, in the game's final 20 minutes. Burns led the Johnnies with 17 points, while Barmore and sophomore Patrick Butcher (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) added 11 point apiece. A 53.0-percent shooter throughout his career (58.0 percent last year), Barmore posted a rare 3-for-10 night from the floor and led the team with seven rebounds. Tim Bergstraser led SCSU with 19 points and nine rebounds. The Huskies made only three of their 17 three-point attempts. SJU left eight points at the free-throw line (16-24, .667) and shot 40.0 percent from the floor (18-45), including a 37.5-percent clip from three-point range (6-16). Both teams committed 16 turnovers and combined for 42 fouls in the game (23-19 in favor of SJU).

A LOOK AT THE POINTERS: UW-Stevens Point closed the game on a 12-1 run, taking home a 68-54 victory over host York (Pa.) in the 2011 White Rose City Classic Championship game last Saturday. York went on a 7-2 run to claim the lead at 35-33 with 17:06 left in the contest. Todd Maciejewski brought the Spartans within three with 2:22 left on the clock, but UWSP connected on 12-of-14 free throws in the final two minutes for a 68-54 victory. Tyler Tillema led UWSP with 20 points, six assists, six rebounds and four steals. The junior connected on 12-of-14 free throws including 7-of-8 in the final two minutes. Brezinski was the only other Pointer in double figures with 18 points and added six rebounds. Tillema leads the squad with an average of 18.0 points per game, while his brother Dan follows with 16.7 points per game and a team-leading 6.0 rebounds per contest. The Pointers enter Tuesday's game averaging 78 points a game and shooting 51.7 percent from the floor (52.9 percent from three-point range).

LAST YEAR'S MEETING: The Johnnies shot 50 percent from the field but went 7:51 without a field goal, including the final 5:23 of the first half, in a 78-51 loss at then-No. 1 Wisconsin-Stevens Point last November. The 2009-10 NCAA Division III champions scored 24 points off the Johnnies' 19 turnovers and held a 32-18 scoring advantage in the paint. SJU held a six-point lead 10 minutes into the game, but the Pointers closed the first half with a 13-2 run bolstered by five SJU turnovers and a 5-for7 shooting performance, including three treys.

SERIES HISTORY: SJU is 1-4 all-time against Stevens Point. The Johnnies' lone win was a close 48-47 victory in the opening round of the Granite City Classic on Dec. 28, 1981, at St. Cloud State. The Johnnies are 0-2 at home against the Pointers and an even 35-35 all-time against Wisconsin state schools.