The Johnnie basketball team plays host to No. 10 St. Thomas for a 7:30 p.m. game tonight at Sexton Arena in Collegeville. – Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM, via Real Audio Player) | Live Stats | Live Video
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (6-8, 4-5 MIAC) started the second half with an 18-4 run and held on for a 64-56 win over Carleton on Saturday (Jan. 18) in Collegeville. SJU led by as much as eight with 4:54 left in the first half, but Carleton answered with an 11-2 run to take a one-point lead, 32-31, into halftime. The 18-4 run gave the Johnnies a comfortable 13-point lead to start the second half, but the Knights scored 11 consecutive points to cut the home team's lead to two with 8:51 remaining. SJU responded with nine straight points and led by as much as 12, 60-48, with 4:37 left before Carleton made one last charge to cut its deficit to four (60-56). The Knights committed a pair of turnovers and the Johnnies made all four their free throws to clinch the win. Senior Seth Marx (Maple Grove, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) was the lone Johnnie to reach double figures with 21 points, the eighth 20-point game of his collegiate career, in his first start of the season. Sophomores Joe Risinger (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) and Alex Schmitt (Chaska, Minn./Waconia) added nine points apiece, while junior Blake Maslonkowski (St. Joseph, Minn./St. Cloud Apollo) collected six points, seven rebounds and four steals. SJU tallied 21 points off 15 Carleton turnovers, while committing only six miscues of its own, in the game. The home team also went 13-for-15 from the free-throw line, all in the second half, and forced 11 of the 15 turnovers in the game's final 18:31.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL, CONTINUING TO FEAST: Despite a 1-3 record, SJU has averaged only eight turnovers over the last four games. On the flip side, the Johnnies have forced an average of 14.2 turnovers and scored 20.2 points per game over the last six contests (3-3 record).
NO REALLY, HE'S BACK: Marx led SJU with 21 points, his eighth game of 20 points or more in his collegiate career, in the win over Carleton Saturday afternoon. The game was his first start of the season after missing the first half of the year due to a preseason knee injury. He ended the week averaging 13.7 points in 24 minutes per game, while shooting 44.4 percent (8-for-18) from behind the arc and 91.7 percent (11-for-12) from the free-throw line. His career stat line against the Tommies, however, could use a boost tonight. Marx shot 33.3 percent (10-for-30) from the field, including 31.3 percent (5-for-16) from three-point range, and averaged 5.3 rebounds and 7.5 points in four previous games against UST.
CLIMBING FROM DOWNTOWN: Marx is shooting 48 percent (12-for-25) from three-point range since starting the season 0-for-6. In the SJU record books, Marx is currently sixth all-time with 138 career treys, six from tying Ryan Lieser (2005-08) for fifth and 43 from surpassing Larry Bassett (1988-92) for the school record.
POINTS IN THE PAINT: The Johnnies registered 28 points in the paint and earned an eight-point win Saturday, but the game could have been put out of reach much sooner as SJU shot only 50 percent in the paint, missing 14 shots total from point-blank range.
A LOOK AT THE TOMMIES: The nationally-ranked Tommies (12-2, 9-0 MIAC) travel to Collegeville riding a six-game win streak and a 19-game conference win streak that goes back to last season. UST erased an early deficit to defeat Concordia-Moorhead 76-60 on Saturday at home. Senior forward Zach Riedeman had 16 points and five assists and senior guard Erik Tengwall added 15 points. Junior forward Conner Nord added nine points and 13 rebounds for the Tommies, who had only six turnovers and rode a 34-22 rebounding advantage. Down 29-24, UST closed the first half on a 12-1 run, capped by sophomore guard Cortez Tillman's three-pointer at the buzzer, and took a 36-30 lead into the locker room. The Tommies broke the game open with a 10-4 run to start the second half. Nord leads the team in both scoring (12.3 ppg.) and rebounding (7.4 rpg.). UST's top three scorers average less than 25 minutes per game: Nord (12.3 ppg. in 24.4 mpg.), Riedeman (11.4 ppg. in 24.4 mpg.) and junior guard Marcus Alipate (10.9 ppg. in 23.4 mpg.).
LAST SEASON: UST won both meetings against the Johnnies last season: 94-63 on Jan. 12 (2013) in St. Paul and 93-68 on Feb. 9 in Collegeville. Then-No. 2 St. Thomas went on a 23-0 run in the first half en route to the 94-63 home win. A three-pointer from McKenzie gave SJU a 12-10 lead with 14:16 left in the first half before UST put together a 27-2 run. McKenzie tied a career high with 13 points to lead the Johnnies, who were out-scored 29-10 off turnovers and out-rebounded 33-18 (13-6 on offensive glass) in the game. SJU out-shot the Tommies, 56.5 percent to 56.4 percent, but committed 22 turnovers and left 12 points at the free-throw line (6-for-18). Marx, who suffered a sprained shoulder in the final minute of the loss to Concordia-Moorhead three days earlier, was held scoreless. Riedeman led UST with 22 points in 17 minutes of play.
Top-ranked St. Thomas shot 63.6 percent from the field in the 93-68 win the last time these two teams met in Collegeville. The Tommies tallied 23 points on 12 offensive rebounds in the game and closed out a 13-point halftime lead (44-31) by shooting 66.7 percent from the floor in the second half. SJU committed only three turnovers in the contest but shot 37.5 percent from the floor, including 31 percent in the second half. The Johnnies made only one of their 11 three-point attempts and were out-rebounded 37-26, though the home team held a 15-12 advantage on the offensive glass. Chris Neumann '13 led the Johnnies with 17 points, while Schmitt added 14 points off the bench. Tommy Hannon led UST with 23 points and Will DeBerg added 16 points and five three-pointers. Riedeman totaled 15 points and seven boards.
SERIES HISTORY: SJU is 40-67 all-time against the Tommies under the direction of head coach Jim Smith, including a 25-25 record in Collegeville (6-7 record in the last 13 meetings in Sexton Arena).
