Box ScoreNORTHFIELD, Minn. – The late, game-tying shots eluded Saint John's basketball in a 71-67 loss at No. 21 St. Olaf on Wednesday, Feb. 4, in Northfield.
SJU (10-8, 8-5 MIAC) entered the game with NCAA Division III's second-best three-point shooting percentage at 43.9 percent (125-for-285) but went 7 of 23 (30.4 percent) from behind the arc in the loss.
The Johnnies trailed by one, 68-67, with 27.6 seconds left before Sterling Nielsen extended the lead to three for St. Olaf (16-3, 11-3 MIAC). SJU missed two game-tying three-pointers with under 25 seconds to play and then another, down four, with nine seconds remaining.
St. Olaf ended the first half on a 5-0 run, thanks to a three-pointer from Riley Aeikens at the horn, to take a 36-30 lead into halftime. SJU only shot 46.4 percent (13-for-28) from the field in the first half, including 3-for-11 (27.3 percent) from three-point range. Turnovers were only tallied at a 5-4 count in favor of SJU, but the Oles turned those miscues into 11 points (11-2).
Junior guard
Mitchell Kuck (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) led all scorers with 19 points, including 12 in the first half, and added six assists. Junior wing
Joe Risinger (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) added 15 points and five rebounds, while junior guard
Alex Schmitt (Waconia, Minn.) chipped in 12 points. Senior post
Blake Maslonkowski (St. Joseph, Minn./St. Cloud Apollo) tallied seven points and three assists, and tied a career high with 13 boards.
The Johnnies out-rebounded STO 38-34 (15-8 offensive) and recorded a 15-2 advantage in second-chance points.
Aeikens led the Oles with 15 points and Sterling Nielsen posted 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting inside the arc. A 64.3-percent free-throw shooter, Ben Figini finished 5-for-6 from the charity stripe, all in the second half to finish with 11 points.
SJU had at least five points, a made three-pointer and an and-one opportunity, negated in the second half due to offensive fouls called away from the ball and left three points at the free-throw line (1-4).
The Johnnies return home to host Bethel (12-6, 8-5 MIAC) for a 3 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Feb. 7, in Sexton Arena.
