Box Score

Box Score | Listen to Archived Game

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Saint John's shot 33.3 percent (8-for-24) in the second half and let a five-point halftime lead slip away in a 66-51 loss at Bethel, which snapped the Johnnies' four-game win streak, on Saturday, Feb. 1, in Arden Hills.

SJU (9-9, 7-6 MIAC) went 6:23 without a field goal late in the first half but still managed to take a 28-23 lead into halftime. The funk carried over into the second half, however, as Bethel (12-7, 8-6 MIAC) burst out of the locker room with a 21-4 run and added another, 15-2, for good measure shortly thereafter. The Johnnies went 2-for-14 from the floor and committed eight turnovers in the first 13:14 of the second half.

Sophomore Mitchell Kuck (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) was the lone Johnnie to reach double figures with 11 points. Senior Patrick Butcher (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) followed with eight points and junior Blake Maslonkowski (St. Joseph, Minn./St. Cloud Apollo) added six points and eight rebounds.

Senior Seth Marx (Maple Grove, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) was held to three points on 1-for-9 shooting (1-for-8 from three-point range). He entered the game averaging 18.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and shooting 54.8 percent (23-for-42) from the field (12-for-24 from three-point range) in the previous four games.

The Johnnies finished at 38 percent (19-for-50), including 27.8 percent (5-for-18) from behind the arc, and committed 18 turnovers. The loss was eerily similar to last year's visit to Arden Hills in which SJU shot 32.8 percent (20-for-61), including 7.1 percent (1-for-14) from three-point range, in a 27-point loss (86-59).

SJU was without its leading scorer (12.8 ppg.), sophomore Alex Schmitt (Chaska, Minn./Waconia), who suffered a head injury late in the game against Hamline Jan. 29.

Luke Buttenhoff led the Royals, who shot 55.6 percent (15-for-27) in the second half and 7-for-14 from three-point range in the game, with 17 points and seven rebounds.

The Johnnies hit the road once again for a 7:30 p.m. game on Monday, Feb. 3, at Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter.