Box Score

ST. PAUL, Minn. – No. 24 Saint John's basketball outlasted a new-look Macalester squad with a high-scoring 114-96 win on Wednesday, Dec. 6, in St. Paul.

Macalester (1-5, 0-3 MIAC) entered the contest averaging only 57 points per game (45.5 in the past two) and shooting 38.6 percent from the field, including 27.5 percent from behind the arc. The Scots adopted a style Wednesday night similar to Grinnell (Iowa), or Loyola Marymount of the 1980's, in which Mac relied on quick offensive possessions and three-point shooting, applied a full-court press on defense and made mass substitutions at nearly ever dead ball. 

The Scots, however, added another element: personal fouls. Mac committed 31 fouls in the game, including 18 in the second half, as SJU attempted 48 free throws (75 percent, 36-for-48). The Johnnies gained the bonus with the Scots' seventh foul of the second half with 12:55 to play and the double bonus with 9:51 remaining.

The 114 points surpassed SJU's season high of 110 scored Nov. 29 at Minnesota-Morris and were the program's most since Dec. 10, 1994 (a 117-91 win at Macalester).

The Johnnies (5-1, 2-0 MIAC) gained a 58-50 lead at the break thanks to a put-back from senior Tyler Weiss (Shakopee, Minn.) at the horn. SJU gained its largest lead of the first half, 51-38 with three minutes left, but Mac closed with a 12-7 run. The visitors committed five turnovers in the game's first 4:40 and 10 in the first half, of which the Scots turned into 16 points. 

Macalester opened the second half with an 11-3 run to tie the game at 61-61, but SJU answered with 10 straight points. The Scots cut their deficit to seven (71-64), but back-to-back three-pointers from junior guard David Stokman (Maple Lake, Minn.) and freshman wing Oakley Baker (Geneva, Minn./New Richland-Heartland-Ellendale-Geneva) gave SJU a double-digit lead it did not relinquish the rest of the way.

Sophomore post Lucas Walford (Elko, Minn./New Prague) recorded his first 20-point game and double-double as a Johnnie in the road win. He led all scorers with 25 points on 8-for-10 shooting, and collected 11 rebounds and four blocks in 26 minutes. Walford entered the game as the MIAC's top shooter at 89.5 percent.

Weiss followed with 20 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes, while Baker poured in a career-high 18 points thanks to a 5-for-8 showing from three-point range.

Wyatt Ferm led Macalester with 18 points on 5-for-15 shooting from the floor. The Scots attempted 83 shots (31.3 percent, 26-for-83), 53 of which were three-pointers (32.1 percent, 17-for-53), in the loss.

The Johnnies return home to host St. Olaf (5-1, 2-1 MIAC) for a 1 p.m. game this Saturday, Dec. 9, in Sexton Arena.