Box Score
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – No. 15 Saint John's basketball overcame a slow start and cruised to a 78-40 win over Carleton in the regular-season finale on Saturday, Feb. 16, in Collegeville.
SJU (21-4, 17-3 MIAC) made only one of its first eight shots and led by one (12-11) with 7:43 left in the first half, but the home team responded with a 30-9 run to take a 42-20 lead into halftime. The Johnnies made 15 of their final 19 shots in the first half to finish at 59.3 percent (16-for-27).
The momentum carried over as the Johnnies opened the second half with an 18-0 run and led by as much as 41 (69-28) with 6:50 to play.
SJU finished at 58.5 percent (31-for-53) for the game, including a blistering 10 of 16 showing (62.5 percent) from three-point range, and turned 17 Carleton turnovers into 19 points. Fourteen Johnnies recorded a point in the victory.
Senior guard
David Stokman (Maple Lake, Minn.) led all scorers with 18 points, all of which came in the first half. He played only four minutes after halftime.
Sophomore wing
Oakley Baker (Geneva, Minn./New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva) went 4-for-6 from long range and finished with 16 points, while junior wing
Jubie Alade (Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) collected 13 points and five rebounds, all in seven minutes during the second half.
Kent Hanson led the Knights (7-18, 5-15 MIAC) with 16 points and seven rebounds. The Knights went a combined 9:40 without a point, the final 2:18 of the first half until Hanson made a pair of free throws 7:22 into the second stanza. Carleton ended the game at 31.3 percent (15-for-48) from the field, which included a 3-for-19 showing (15.8 percent) from behind the arc.
The Johnnies host an opponent yet to be determined in the MIAC Playoff semifinals at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, in Sexton Arena. Third-seeded Bethel hosts (#6) Gustavus Adolphus, while (#5) St. Olaf visits (#4) Augsburg Tuesday, Feb. 19, in the MIAC Playoff quarterfinals. SJU will host the highest seed (either Bethel, Augsburg or St. Olaf) Thursday.
