Box Score
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – No. 2 Saint John's basketball shot 65 percent (13-for-20) in the second half to pull away from Gustavus Adolphus, 68-59, for its 18th consecutive win on Wednesday, Jan. 29, in Collegeville.
The victory clinched the program's ninth consecutive MIAC Playoff appearance (established in 1984-85) and 27th overall.
Although the Gusties (8-11, 8-6 MIAC) edged the Johnnies (18-1, 14-0 MIAC) on the glass 28-27 (18-9 in the first half), SJU dominated the paint 46-24 and scored 17 points off 13 GAC turnovers. Gustavus scored 12 second-chance points and its bench was responsible for 36 of the team's total of 59.
The game was within five points for the first 14 points until SJU built a 10-point lead (33-23). That is, until GAC answered with a 9-0 run before sophomore guard
Colton Codute (Wayzata, Minn./Orono) ended the first half with a layup to give the Johnnies a 35-32 lead at the break.
SJU broke the game open with a 10-2 run over a six-minute span - to gain a 10-point lead (49-39) with 11:30 left - and led by double digits for a majority of the time remaining. The Johnnies led by as much as 15 before GAC made a pair of three-pointers in the game's final 40 seconds.
Senior wing
Jubie Alade (Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) led four Johnnies in double digits with 19 points. He also grabbed five rebounds and went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. The 19 points moved Alade into a tie with Paul Henrichs '06 for 14th on SJU's all-time scoring list with 1,238 career points.
Codute and senior post
Lucas Walford (Elko, Minn./New Prague) combined to shoot 73.7 percent (14-for-19) from the floor and poured in 14 points apiece. Walford added six rebounds and Codute chipped in three assists.
Junior post
Zach Hanson (New Prague, Minn.) was the other Johnnie in double figures with 10 points and a game-high seven boards.
Peter Lundquist went 8-for-11 from the field to lead the Gusties with 16 points off the bench. GAC attempt 15 three-pointers in the second half, going 5-for-15 (33.3 percent), to the Johnnies' one.
The Johnnies play host to Hamline (4-14, 2-11 MIAC) for a 1 p.m. game this Saturday, Feb. 1, in Sexton Arena.
