Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – No. 10 Saint John's basketball punched its ticket to the 2019 NCAA Division III Tournament with an 82-79 win over Augsburg for the MIAC Playoff championship in front of a near-capacity crowd on Saturday, Feb. 23, in Collegeville.

The playoff title is the sixth for the Johnnies (23-4, 17-3 MIAC), who will make their second consecutive national tournament appearance and 19th overall next weekend at a site to be determined. 

The NCAA selection show is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 25, on ncaa.com.

SJU overcame its second-worst shooting performance of the season, 43.8 percent (28-for-64), thanks to 15 offensive rebounds and a 79.2-percent showing (19-for-24) from the free-throw line. The Johnnies out-rebounded the Auggies (19-9, 13-7 MIAC) by a 41-27 margin (15-3 on the offensive glass) and tallied a 42-26 scoring advantage in the paint. The home team missed 20 layups/shots in the paint (10 in each half).

Booker Coplin brought the Auggies to within three (82-79) with the first of two free throws with 3.3 seconds left on the clock. He purposely missed the second attempt and the rebound deflected off junior post Lucas Walford (Elko, Minn./New Prague) with 1.9 remaining. Sophomore post Zach Hanson (New Prague, Minn.) blocked Henry Mulligan's game-tying, three-point attempt at the horn and the large SJU student section poured onto the floor in celebration.



Walford posted his 11th double-double of the season and 15th of his career with a team-leading 22 points and 12 rebounds. Eight of 12 boards were on the offensive end of the court.

Junior wing Jubie Alade (Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) followed with another double-double, the second of his career, with 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. He went a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe in the game, including 4-for-4 in the final 19 seconds.

Hanson collected 15 points and two blocks, while senior guard David Stokman (Maple Lake, Minn.) added 10 points and four assists.

Coplin led all scorers with a career-high 46 points on 17-for-30 shooting, including 7-for-16 from three-point range. He also added 11 rebounds. The Auggies made 14 treys and finished at 52.6 percent (30-for-57) for the game.

Coplin gave Augsburg a one-point lead (75-74), what proved to be its final of the game, on a three-pointer with 3:09 remaining. Alade gave the lead back to SJU with a pair of free throws on the other end and, following a miss from each team, sophomore wing Oakley Baker (Geneva, Minn./New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva) forced a turnover and Stokman chipped in two more free throws to make it 78-75.

The two teams exchanged misses before the Auggies turned it over again, this time a Walford steal of Coplin, and Alade drained two more free tosses.

Coplin cut it to two (80-78) on a three-pointer with eight seconds remaining, but Alade answered with two more free throws.

The Auggies started the game hot, making nine of its first 13 shot attempts (4-for-8 from behind the arc), to build its largest lead of the game (13, 24-11) 10 minutes into the game. The Johnnies, meanwhile, made only four of their first 17 shots during that span.

SJU, however, ended the first half with a 26-9 run, including a three-pointer from Alade at the horn, to take a 37-33 lead into the break. The Johnnies entered the game leading Division III in rebound margin (+13.3 rpg.) and shooting percentage (.546), and were second in three-point percentage (.418).