Box ScoreCHICAGO, Ill. – Saint John's ended its two-game trip to Chicago with a 69-62 loss at North Park on Saturday, Dec. 20.
North Park (7-2, 0-0 CCIW) used a 13-4 run in the middle of the first half and SJU (3-5, 1-2 MIAC) missed four of its final six shots to take a 14-point deficit, 41-27, into the break. The Johnnies shot 38.7 percent (12-for-31) from the field, 3-for-13 from three-point range, and committed 10 turnovers in the first half.
SJU trailed by as much as 14 in the second half, and by 13 with 12:03 remaining, but went on an 18-4 run to trail by only one, 60-59, with 4:10 left. A layup from freshman post
Tyler Weiss (Shakopee, Minn.) cut the Johnnies' deficit to two (64-62) with 1:13 on the clock, but SJU came up empty on its final three possessions (two missed shots and a turnover).
Junior
Alex Schmitt (Waconia, Minn.) led SJU with 23 points for his fifth consecutive 20-point game. Classmates
Mitchell Kuck (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) and
Joe Risinger (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) added 13 and 11 points respectively. The three combined for 11 of the team's 15 turnovers, of which the Vikings turned into 20 points total.
Jordan Robinson led NPU with a career-high 30 points and added nine rebounds.
SJU returns to conference play with a 3 p.m. matinee at Bethel on Saturday, Jan. 3, in Arden Hills.
