Saint John's travels to face St. Thomas this Wednesday, Feb. 1. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul. – Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM)
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's built a 17-point halftime lead and held on for a 57-56 win over Carleton Jan 28. The Johnnies (11-7, 7-6 MIAC ) held the Knights to only four field goals (25.0 percent, 4-for-16) and scored 12 points off eight turnovers to lead 33-16 at the half. Carleton, however, outscored Saint John's 38-20 to take a one point lead with 3:21 remaining. Junior Chris Orgas (Lakeville, Minn./North) scored two of his career-high 10 points to give the lead back to SJU. Senior Aaron Barmore (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) scored to make it 57-54 with 1:28 left. Carleton scored once more to make the final score 57-56. The Johnnies totaled a 14-6 scoring advantage off of turnovers. Barmore led SJU with 16 points and eight rebounds, while senior Andy Burns added 13 points and four assists.
BURNS RETURNS TO FORM: Burns returned to form with an average of 16 points and 4.5 assists per game with a .600 shooting percentage (12-for-20), including 75.0 percent (3-for-4) from beyond the arc, and a 3.00 assist/turnover ratio in the Johnnies' pair of wins last week. He posted 19 points, five assists and no turnovers in the 64-50 win at Saint Mary's Jan. 25, and ended the week with 13 points and four assists in the 57-56 in against Carleton Jan. 28. Burns entered the week with a .320 shooting percentage, including 24.7 percent from three-point range, and a 1.88 assist/turnover ratio on the season. Both shooting percentages are career lows. Burns enters Wednesday's game at St. Thomas with 956 career points, 44 shy of becoming the 33rd Johnnie to reach the 1,000-point mark. He is currently third in school history with 355 career assists and fourth with 145 career three-pointers.
A LOOK AT THE TOMMIES: St. Thomas (14-5, 11-3 MIAC) went on a late 17-4 run to defeat Macalester 78-65 Monday night. The Tommies led 39-36 at halftime and by four points (58-54) midway through the second half. Zach Riedeman led UST with 20 points, while Will DeBerg added 13 points and five assists. DeBerg came off the bench to hit five three-pointers in the second half, but Gustavus Adolphus earned an 82-77 overtime win Saturday in St. Peter. The Gusties shot 60 percent in a matchup that featured 13 lead changes and 11 ties. The game was tied at 69 at the end of regulation after neither team scored in the game's final two minutes. DeBerg finished with 20 points, including 19 in the second half and overtime.
EARLIER THIS SEASON: Saint John's made each of its final six free throws and sophomore Seth Marx (Maple Grove, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) drilled a three pointer with 23 seconds left as the host Johnnies defeated then-No. 13 St. Thomas 68-66 on Jan. 2 in Collegeville. UST took a 66-65 lead with 33 seconds left in the game. Burns drove to the free-throw line and kicked a pass out to a wide-open Marx for the game-winning shot. There were nine lead changes from the 2:38 mark of the second half until Marx's three. The Johnnies shot just 32.0 percent (8-for-25) in the first half, but went 10-for-11 from the free-throw line to keep the game close. SJU started the second half with a 6-0 run and extended the lead to as much as seven. Saint John's shot 56.5 percent (13-for-23) in the second half and four of nine from behind the arc. The Johnnies finished the game 21 of 25 (84.0 percent) from the line. Marx led SJU with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Barmore and Burns collected five assists each and added 14 and 12 points, respectively. The win snapped a 10-game losing streak against St. Thomas.
SERIES HISTORY: SJU is 38-65 all-time against St. Thomas under the direction of head coach Jim Smith, including 14-41 in St. Paul. The Johnnies aim to end a seven-game losing streak on the UST campus.
