Box Score

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Senior guard Brent Hentges' layup with 10.7 seconds remaining, his first basket of the night, proved to be the game-winner as No. 16 Saint John's earned a 69-68 win at Carleton on Monday, Jan. 8, in Northfield.

Kevin Grow's game-winning attempt for Carleton (7-5, 5-2 MIAC) rolled out in the closing seconds and sophomore post Lucas Walford (Elko, Minn./New Prague) grabbed the rebound, his 11th of the game, to seal the victory.

The game's lead changed hands 20 times. With the ball and down by one (68-67), junior guard David Stokman (Maple Lake, Minn.) fouled out via charge with 23 seconds left for SJU (11-1, 7-0 MIAC), but freshman wing Oakley Baker (Geneva, Minn./New Richland-Heartland-Ellendale-Geneva) forced a Carleton turnover on the ensuing in-bounds play. Weiss found a cutting Hentges for the go-ahead layup eight seconds later.

Senior guard Patrick Strom (Fargo, N.D./Shanley) led SJU with a season-high 22 points thanks to a 5-for-9 performance from three-point range. He had 15 points in the first half alone.

Weiss followed with 21 points, his fourth 20-point game of the season and 14th of his career. The 21 points vaulted him four spots on SJU's all-time scoring list to 17th with 1,137 career points. 

The Johnnies trailed Carleton by one (39-38) at the half, which was just their second halftime deficit this season (also by one, and an eventual win, Nov. 18 at Division II St. Cloud State). SJU out-rebounded Carleton 13-12 in the first half despite a combined one board from Walford and Weiss. The duo recorded 15 rebounds in the second half. 

Grow led all scorers with 23 points, though the MIAC's leading rebounder fell five shy of his season average (12.3 rpg.) with seven. Kent Hanson added 15 points and eight boards. The Knights kept pace with the Johnnies in the first half thanks to a 4-for-8 showing from three-point range and a perfect 7-for-7 mark at the free-throw line. Carleton entered the game shooting 30.3 percent from behind the arc and 62.1 percent from the charity stripe. The home team made two of its seven three-point attempts in the second half Monday night. 

SJU won the battle of the conference's top two rebounding teams by a 32-28 margin (8-7 on the offensive glass) and made 48.1 percent (25-for-52) of its shots.

The Johnnies travel to face Augsburg (11-2, 6-2 MIAC), which earned a 62-52 win tonight at St. Thomas, at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, in Minneapolis.