Saint John's plays host to Hamline for a 7:30 p.m. game on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 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 (8-8, 6-5 MIAC) erased a three-point halftime deficit by shooting 62.5 percent (20-for-32) in the second half en route to an 81-60 win at Saint Mary's on Saturday (Jan. 25) in Winona. Down 28-21 with 5:46 left, SJU went on an 8-0 run to gain a one-point lead, but SMU answered with six straight points before sophomore Alex Schmitt (Chaska, Minn./Waconia) made a fast-break basket at the horn to cut the Johnnies' deficit to 34-31 at the half. The Cardinals entered the game shooting 39.2 percent from the field (29.8 percent from three-point range) on the year but shot 57.7 percent (15-for-26) from the field, including a perfect 4-for-4 showing from behind the arc, in the first half. SJU burst out of the locker room with a 15-4 run to gain a 46-38 lead in the first 7:05 of the second half and clinched the win with a 13-2 spurt with six minutes remaining. Senior Seth Marx (Maple Grove, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) led SJU with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Schmitt ended the afternoon with 16 points off the bench, 14 of which came in the second half. SJU shot 55.9 percent in the game and made only one of its first 10 three-point attempts, but went 5-for-10 the rest of the way. The Johnnies committed only five turnovers in the game and posted scoring advantages in all three specialty categories: 38-16 in the paint, 16-7 off turnovers and 12-6 following an offensive rebound.
SIX BASKETS OR LESS: The Johnnies held the Cardinals to six field goals (28.6 percent, 6-for-21) and scored 10 points off of eight SMU turnovers in the game's final 20 minutes. SJU has now held SMU to six second-half field goals or less in four of the last nine meetings.
A ROAD WIN, FINALLY: Saturday's victory in Winona was the first road, non-neutral site victory for SJU this season (1-6 record); the latest in a season since 1991-92: Feb. 1, 1992, at Saint Mary's (W, 68-67).
BACK IN THE LINEUP: Marx averaged 17.5 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game (a 6-to-1 assist/turnover ratio), while shooting 55 percent (11-for-20) from the field as SJU went 2-0 last week. He is averaging 18.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 51.6 percent (16-for-31) from the field since cracking the starting lineup Jan. 18. Marx missed the first half of the season after suffering a knee injury during preseason practices.
A LOOK AT THE PIPERS: Hamline (8-9, 5-7 MIAC) stopped a two-game skid with a 62-58 home win over Carleton on Saturday. Junior Dior Ford took charge of the game early, scoring the Pipers' first five points, and led all scorers with 22 points and seven rebounds. HU shot 60 percent (15-for-25) in the first half but led by only two, 34-32, at the half. The Pipers finished at a season-high 56.6 percent for the game and held a 27-24 edge on the glass. Ford leads the team with an average of 17.5 points per game, while classmate Austin Johnson is second at 11.6 points and grabs a team-leading 6.9 rebounds per game.
EARLIER THIS SEASON: Hamline out-scored Saint John's 53-26 in the game's final 24:13 to hand the Johnnies a 72-50 loss earlier this season (Dec. 9) in St. Paul. HU erased a five-point Johnnie lead with a 12-0 run to end the first half and take a 31-24 lead into intermission. SJU committed nine turnovers and made only 30 percent (9-for-30) of its shots in the game's first 20 minutes. The Johnnies cut their deficit to seven, 49-42, with 10:30 remaining, but made only three of their last 15 shots (20 percent). HU, meanwhile, shot 69.2 percent (9-for-13) from the field, including 4-for-5 from three-point range, to blow the game wide open. Senior Patrick Butcher (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) was the lone Johnnie to reach double figures with 15 points. Senior Nick Meyer (Plymouth, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) added eight points off the bench, while sophomore Joe Risinger (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) collected six points and seven rebounds. Butcher and Meyer combined to shoot 50 percent (9-for-18) from the floor, while the rest of the team combined for a 29.3-percent showing (12-for-41). Zach Moll led the Pipers with 17 points thanks to a 5-for-6 showing from beyond the arc, all of which was recorded in the second half. Austin Johnson and Bennett Cooper added 14 and 13 points, respectively. The three combined to shoot 69.2 percent (18-for-26) from the floor. Cooper spent his freshman season on the Johnnies' junior varsity during the 2011-12 season. The Johnnies ended the game shooting 35.6 percent from the field (21-for-59), including 30 percent from three-point range (3-for-10). SJU entered the game averaging 82 points per game and shooting 53.6 percent from the field. The 50 points scored by SJU was the fewest against Hamline since Feb. 2, 1987 (a 71-50 SJU loss in St. Paul).
SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 76-26 all-time against Hamline under the direction of head coach Jim Smith, including a 42-9 record at home. SJU has won the last seven meetings with the Pipers in Sexton Arena. HU combined to shoot 41 percent (163-for-398) from the field, including 26.3 percent (31-for-118) from three-point range, and committed an average of 15.6 turnovers per game in the seven losses.
20.3%: Smith is a combined 155-47 (.767) against Saint Mary's and Hamline, meaning 20.3 percent of his 763 wins in 50 seasons at SJU have come against the two teams. Better yet, Smith is 91-10 against the Cardinals and Pipers in Collegeville (49-1 vs. SMU, 42-9 vs. HU).
