Saint John's (11-10, 7-9 MIAC) plays host to Concordia-Moorhead (13-9, 9-8 MIAC) this Saturday, Feb. 12. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Sexton Arena in Collegeville. – Listen Live | Live Stats
Preview Video:
-Head coach Jim Smith (1:36)
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: SJU made six of eight free throws in the final minute of regulation to defeat Macalester 81-79 this past Wednesday in St. Paul. The Johnnies ended the game 19 of 25 from the charity stripe and shot 55.6 percent (15-27) in the second half. SJU's 11-point halftime lead lost its luster, however, as Macalester made nine three-pointers (60.0 percent) in the second half, including three in the final 25 seconds. SJU led by as much as 15 late in the second half, and by 13 with 5:32 left. The Scots went on a 15-2 run to cut the deficit to as close as two with 1:35 remaining. Seniors Todd Herman (Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer) and Nermin Hujdurovic (Tuzla, Bosnia/Medical), and junior Andy Burns (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) led SJU with 16 points apiece. Hujdurovic was a rebound shy of a double-double and added four blocks. Senior Aaron Burtzel (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) posted 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. SJU shot 53.6 percent to the Scots' 38.5 percent. Mac picked up the slack by tallying 19 points off the Johnnies' nine turnovers and collected 19 points off 19 offensive rebounds.
A LOOK AT THE COBBERS: Concordia went 12-for-32 from behind the arc to defeat Augsburg 81-68 on Wednesday. The Cobbers had seven players score at least eight points as they won their fourth straight game. Seniors Darrin Olmscheid and John Fraase lead CC with an average of 13.8 and 13.0 points per game, respectively. Both are shooting 51.9 percent from the field, while Fraase leads the squad in both rebounding (7.5 rpg.) and assists (56).
MIAC PLAYOFF SITUATION: Saturday's game is a must-win for the Johnnies against Concordia, as a loss would eliminate them from MIAC Playoff contention. The Cobbers travel to face St. Thomas and Hamline next week. If SJU deals Concordia a loss Saturday, the worst the Cobbers could finish is 9-11. The Johnnies, meanwhile, would be 8-9 with games at Gustavus, at Saint Mary's and at home against St. Thomas next week. The second tie-breaker for conference playoffs is the combined record above the tied teams in the standings. Right now, both teams are 2-6 against the top five teams in the league and have two games remaining against those schools. The third tie-breaker is record above the tied teams in rank order. SJU was 2-0 against Hamline, while the Cobbers were 2-0 against St. Olaf. Hamline is currently half a game ahead of St. Olaf in the standings with games against Macalester, the Oles, St. Thomas and Concordia remaining. The Oles have the Pipers, Bethel and Carleton left on their schedule. The “wild card” game that may determine the possible tie-breaker, or need for one altogether, is the fact that both the Johnnies and Cobbers play St. Thomas next week.
SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 67-29 all-time against Concordia under the direction of head coach Jim Smith, including a 42-5 record in Collegeville. SJU has won 15 of the last 17 meetings in Sexton Arena.
THE LAST MEETING: Concordia made seven of its first 10 shots of the second half and then proceeded to go on an 8-1 run to bust open a four-point halftime lead and hand Saint John's its third straight loss, 77-63, on Jan. 8 in Moorhead. The Cobbers followed a 10-for-25 (40.0 percent) showing in the first half by shooting 68.2 percent (15-22) in the game's final 20 minutes. Burtzel and Chris Schwartz (Sioux Falls, S.D./Lincoln) led SJU with 14 points apiece. Burtzel also added five rebounds and four assists. Schwartz led all scorers with 10 points in the first half. Freshman Patrick Butcher (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) scored a career-high 10 points off the bench on 4-for-4 shooting (2-for-2 from three-point range). Darrin Olmscheid led the home team with 15 points as nine different Cobbers scored five points or more. Concordia entered Saturday's contest with the MIAC's (conference games only) third-worst free-throw shooting percentage (.658, 77-117), but shot at a 95.0 percent (19-20) clip on the afternoon. The Johnnies' tandem of senior Sam Blank (Rollingstone, Minn./Winona Cotter) and Burns, which entered the game averaging a collective 26 points per game, was held to just nine on the day.
