Box Score
NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Saint John's basketball held on for a 78-71 win at St. Olaf on Wednesday, Feb. 1, in Northfield.
SJU (14-5, 10-4 MIAC) led by as much as 24 (64-40) with 12:56 left, but the Oles cut their deficit to four thanks to a 25-5 run. STO (8-11, 6-8 MIAC) made eight of its 13 shots (61.5 percent), including a 6-for-7 performance from three-point range (85.7 percent), during the run. The Johnnies, meanwhile, made only two of their 10 shot attempts and committed five turnovers, including four consecutive, during the cold spurt.
A three-pointer from junior guard
Garrett Goetz (Rosemount, Minn.) gave SJU some breathing room, 72-65, with 4:46 left, but STO answered with a bucket from Robert Tobroxen. Both teams exchanged a pair of misses before junior post
Tyler Weiss (Shakopee, Minn.) ended the scoring drought (2:15) with two points in the paint to extend SJU's lead to 74-68 with 1:30 left. STO was called for its first foul of the second half with 2:02 remaining.
Junior guard
Patrick Strom (Fargo, N.D./Shanley) made each of his four free throws, SJU's only shots from the charity stripe in the second half, in the final minute to seal the win. The Oles made only one of their final six shots from the field.
Weiss led all scorers with 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season and seventh of his career. Strom added 15 points, while sophomore guard
David Stokman (Maple Lake, Minn.) registered 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
SJU shot 56.3 percent (18-for-32) from the field, including 6-for-11 from behind the arc, to take a 49-29 lead into halftime. The visitors finished at an even 50 percent (29-for-58) for the game.
Austin Korba led STO with 15 points and seven assists, while Tobroxen collected 14 points, all in the second half.
The Oles shot 51.9 percent (14-for-27) in the second half, including 8-for-13 (61.5 percent) from downtown, to finish at 47.2 percent overall (50 percent from three-point). St. Olaf entered the game 10th in the MIAC (all games) in shooting percentage (43.5 percent) and last from three-point (32.7 percent).
The Johnnies wrap up their three-game stretch on the road with a trip to Bethel (14-6, 10-5 MIAC) for a 3 p.m. contest on Saturday, Feb. 4, in Arden Hills.
