Saint John's opens a three-game homestand with a 7:30 p.m. contest Wednesday, Jan. 16, against Hamline in Sexton Arena. – Listen Live (Real Audio Player) | Live Stats
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (4-10, 3-6 MIAC) ended its five-game losing skid with a 63-46 win at Saint Mary's on Jan. 14 in Winona. SJU scored a total of 16 points off turnovers and offensive rebounds to post a 34-16 halftime lead. The Johnnies shot 49.4 percent in the game's first 20 minutes, while the Cardinals shot 30.4 percent and committed eight turnovers. Junior Seth Marx (Maple Grove, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) led the Johnnies with 15 points, including 13 points in the first half (10 in the game's first 9:17). Senior Chris Neumann (Winsted, Minn./Holy Trinity) followed with 10 points and a team-leading five rebounds, while freshman Mitchell Kuck (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) added eight points and a career-high eight assists. The Johnnies out-rebounded the Cardinals 39-30, including an 11-6 edge on the offensive glass (8-2 in second-chance points).
75: The Johnnies' win at Saint Mary's Monday night was the 75th of head basketball coach Jim Smith's career against the Cardinals (75-20 record). Smith is also 75-25 all-time against Hamline. The 150 wins against the two schools account for 20 percent of his career win total of 747.
FIRST-HALF FLIP: SJU out-scored the Cardinals by 18 points, 34-16, in Monday's victory. The Johnnies entered the game having been out-scored by a total of 71 points in their previous four games.
FREE POINTS?: The Johnnies are converting only 60.1 percent (119-for-198) of their free-throw attempts so far this season, including a rugged 50.9-percent clip (28-for-55) in their last four games.
GET TO THE LINE: The low shooting percentage is not the only ill for SJU at the free-throw line season, as opponents have attempted 105 more free throws this season. Late-game fouling during the 10 losses is not the scapegoat either, as opponents tossed up a combined 50 more attempts from the charity stripe in the four wins.
A LOOK AT THE PIPERS: Hamline (6-8, 3-6 MIAC) enters Wednesday's contest riding a four-game losing streak, which was extended via a 78-62 loss at home to Bethel Monday evening. Freshman Wes Pinera scored a career-high 15 points but Bethel posted a 39-21 advantage on the glass and held the home team to a 35.4-percent night from the floor (24.2 percent in the second half alone). The team's leading scorer, sophomore Dior Ford (16.1 ppg.), was 2-for-14 shooting on the night. As a team, Hamline is shooting 49.3 percent from the field and is eight percentage points better than its opponents from beyond the arc (38.7 percent vs. 30.9 percent).
EARLIER THIS SEASON: Hamline handed SJU a 75-59 loss in the conference opener for both teams earlier this season on Nov. 28 in St. Paul. HU scored the game's first eight points and shot 59.1 percent (13-for-22) from the floor in the second half. Junior Nick Meyer (Plymouth, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) doubled his previous career high by leading the Johnnies with 16 points off the bench, while classmate and high-school teammate Seth Marx (Maple Grove, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) added 10. The Johnnies shot 23.5 percent (4-for-17) from three-point range and only scored 12 points off the Pipers' 17 turnovers in the game. Dior Ford and Tyler Pannell tallied 16 points apiece to lead the Pipers, who also out-rebounded SJU 32-22 in the game. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Pipers vs. SJU (Jan. 13, 2010).
SERIES HISTORY: As mentioned above, SJU is 75-25 all-time under the direction of Jim Smith, including a 41-9 record in Collegeville.
