Saint John's plays host to Carleton this Saturday, Jan. 28. Tip-off is schedule for 3 p.m. at Sexton Arena in Collegeville. – Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's senior captains Andy Burns (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) and Aaron Barmore (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) combined for 35 points and nine assists as the Johnnies earned a 54-50 road win at Saint Mary's Wednesday night in Winona. The Johnnies answered an early three-point deficit with a 14-0 run to post a 26-15 lead with 4:43 left in the first half. SJU forced 10 SMU turnovers in the second half. The Johnnies outscored the Cardinals 30-16 in the paints and 19-10 off turnovers. Burns went 6-for-11 from the field, including 2-for-3 from behind the arc, to lead all scorers with 19 points. He also added five assists and went a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Barmore tallied 16 points, while sophomore Jack Wittenborg (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) added nine points off the bench. The Johnnies currently lead the MIAC (all games) in free-throw percentage (.763) and assist/turnover ratio (1.41), and is second in scoring defense (62.7 ppg.) and turnover margin (+3.76 tpg.).
A LOOK AT THE KNIGHTS: Carleton (6-11, 3-9 MIAC) shot just 27 percent in a 54-40 loss at home to Gustavus Wednesday night. Junior Scott Theisen recorded his second career double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while senior Caleb Rosenow collected 14 points and 10 rebounds to earn his fifth career double-double. Junior Tom Sawatzke added 10 points for the Knights, while freshman Shane McSparron recorded five assists. Rosenow averages 15.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game with a .575 shooting percentage. The Knights enter Saturday's game riding a nine-game losing streak after starting the season 6-2 overall.
COACHES vs. CANCER: This weekend (Jan. 27-29) is the annual Coaches vs. Cancer® Suits and Sneakers awareness weekend, a collaborative initiative of the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Participating NABC member coaches will wear sneakers instead of dress shoes with their suits during this weekend's games to demonstrate their support for the American Cancer Society and its vision of a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Fans may support this cause by texting COACH to 20222 from any wireless phone to make a $5 donation toward Coaches vs. Cancer and help in the search for a cure. For more information, visit the Coaches vs. Cancer Facebook page at facebook.com/coachesvscancer.
THE LAST MEETING: Saint John's fought back but could not overcome a large first-half deficit in a 71-54 loss at Carleton earlier this season (Dec. 3) in Northfield. The Johnnies committed 11 turnovers and shot just 22.2 percent in the first half, including shooting 2-for-13 from behind the arc, to find themselves down 42-16 at the half. Down by as much as 30 early in the second half, SJU cut the deficit to 12 with three minutes to play. However, the Knights would score the game's final five points. Sophomore Seth Marx (Maple Grove, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) led SJU with 19 points, 17 of which came in the second half. He was five of 10 from three-point range and grabbed five rebounds. Junior Chris Neumann (Winsted, Minn./Holy Trinity) added 14 points and eight boards.
SERIES HISTORY: Saint John's is 35-28 all-time against the Knights under the direction of head coach Jim Smith, including a 21-10 record in Collegeville. SJU, however, is currently riding a five-game losing streak against Carleton and has dropped seven of the last 10 meetings overall (4-6 in the last 10 games at Sexton Arena).
PRE-GAME MATCHUP: SJU serves as the host for a boys' high school game between a pair of top-five teams in Class 3A, Grand Rapids and Mankato East, prior to the Johnnies' game at 1 p.m. Saturday.
