Box Score

MOORHEAD, Minn. – Saint John's basketball shot 65.7 percent (23-for-35) from the field and snapped a seven-game skid at Memorial Auditorium with a 73-68 win at Concordia-Moorhead on Wednesday, Jan. 28.

With the victory, SJU head coach Jim Smith (780-553 career record) tied Augsburg graduate and former Iowa (1975-83) and Arizona (1984-2007) head coach Lute Olson for 15th on college basketball's all-time wins list. He is now 72-33 all-time against the Cobbers, but just 26-27 at Concordia. SJU made the trip to Moorhead with losses in nine of the last 11 meetings in Memorial Auditorium, including each of the last seven. The Johnnies combined to shoot 38.9 percent from the field during that seven-game losing streak.

The Johnnies (10-7, 8-4 MIAC) ended the game on a 9-2 run as Concordia (10-7, 6-6 MIAC) missed its final six shot attempts. A three-pointer from junior wing Joe Risinger (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) gave the visitors a two-point lead (69-67) with 2:31 left. Risinger then hit a five-foot floater to make it 71-68 with 38 seconds left and the Cobbers missed a pair of three-point attempts on the other end. Junior guard Alex Schmitt (Waconia, Minn.) made both of his free throws to put the game away and give SJU its largest lead of the game, 73-68.

SJU shot an eye-opening 75 percent (12-for-16) from the field but trailed CC by three (40-37) at the half thanks to nine turnovers that the Cobbers turned into 14 points. 

Schmitt led SJU with 21 points, his seventh 20-point game of the season, on 7-for-8 shooting. Risinger added 11 points and senior post Blake Maslonkowski (St. Joseph, Minn./St. Cloud Apollo) collected eight points and six rebounds.

Jordan Bolger led all scorers with 24 points and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. He entered the game as a 58.9-percent free-throw shooter but went 8-for-9 at the line. Concordia shot 29.6 percent (8-for-27) in the second half and 30.8 percent (8-for-26) from three-point range in the game.

The home team out-rebounded the Johnnies 25-22 (11-2 offensive) and countered SJU's impressive shooting percentage with 17 points off 15 turnovers and went 10-for-11 from the free-throw line, all in the second half.

The Johnnies travel to face No. 24 St. Olaf for a 7 p.m. contest next Wednesday, Feb. 4, in Northfield.