The Johnnie basketball team begins conference play against St. Scholastica at 3 p.m. this Saturday, Nov. 20, in Duluth. – Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (2-2 overall) went 0-2 last weekend (Nov. 12-13) at No. 4 Illinois Wesleyan's Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational in Bloomington, Ill.

No. 17 Wisconsin-Oshkosh 89, Saint John's 55
The Titans shot 61.5 percent (40-for-65) from the field, including a scalding 75 percent (36-for-48) from inside the arc, and scored 17 points off 15 SJU turnovers.

SJU shot 43.4 percent (23-for-53) from the floor and made only three of its 20 three-point attempts (15 percent) in the loss. The Johnnies missed their first nine shots from downtown until sophomore post Ethan Youso (Gilbert, Minn./Virginia) drilled a trey from the top of the key with 14:07 left in the game.

Sophomore wing Ryan Thissen (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview) was the lone Johnnie in double figures with 14 points. Senior post Zach Hanson (New Prague, Minn.) added eight points and four rebounds in 18 minutes, while senior guard Colton Codute (Wayzata, Minn./Orono) totaled seven points and three assists.

Hope (Mich.) 62, Saint John's 58
The Johnnies made three of their 25 long-range attempts (12 percent) and finished at 36.1 percent (22-for-61) overall in the loss. 

SJU rode a 7-0 run to its second lead of the game, 53-52, with just over four minutes remaining and held its last advantage (55-54) with 2:52 left. The Johnnies, however, made only one of their final six shot attempts as the Flying Dutchmen scored eight of the game's final 11 points.

Thissen led all scorers with 19 points and junior post Carson Schoeller (Prior Lake, Minn.) scored a career-high 15 in his first collegiate start. He shot 7-for-10 from the floor and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Thissen, meanwhile, was later named to the six-man, all-tournament team.

RARE SLUMP FROM THE ARC: SJU shot 22.9 percent (19-for-83) from behind the arc through the season's first four games, including under 20 percent each of the last three contests. The last time the Johnnies shot under 20 percent from three-point range occurred in an 87-70 win over Saint Mary's on Dec. 12, 2018 (13.3 percent, 2-for-15). The Johnnies also shot under 10 percent in an 76-64 win over Willamette (Ore.) on Nov. 25, 2016 (9.1 percent, 1-for-11). Despite a rare one-game slump from three-point range, the last time the Johnnies shot under 20 percent in back-to-back games occurred in 2010: 18.8 percent (3-for-16) in a 79-58 win over Martin Luther on Dec. 1 and 15.8 percent (3-for-19) three days later in a 72-64 loss to St. Olaf. 

A LOOK AT THE SAINTS: St. Scholastica (1-1 overall) went on a 9-0 run in the final two minutes, thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from senior guard Quinn Fischer, to pull away from Wisconsin-Superior for a 69-60 win Wednesday night (Nov. 17) in Duluth. The Saints were led by all seniors, including two players with double-double performances. Fischer finished with a game-high 20 points and collected 10 rebounds, while senior forward Jack Silgen added 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Senior guards Noah Winesett and Nick Carlson followed with 14 and 10 points, respectively. CSS suffered a 77-76 overtime loss to Wisconsin-River Falls in its home and season opener Nov. 10, five days after the Johnnies defeated the Falcons 85-67 in Superior, Wis.
 
THE LAST TIME: Then-No. 20 SJU opened its 2017-18 season with a 94-71 win over St. Scholastica the last time these two teams met on Nov. 17, 2017, at St. Cloud State.

The Johnnies scored the game's first nine points and never looked back, leading by as much as 23 in the first half and 24 in the game, and never trailed. SJU shot 61.7 percent (37-for-60) from the field, including 64.5 percent (20-for-31) as the Johnnies built a 52-37 halftime lead, and 46.4 percent (13-for-28) from three-point range. Ten different Johnnies scored a point, including seven with a three-pointer.

Jubie Alade '20 led all scorers, and four Johnnies in double figures, with 22 points on 10 of 13 shooting. Fifteen of his 22 points came in the first half.

SERIES HISTORY: SJU is 7-0 all-time against St. Scholastica, dating back to the first meeting on Dec. 3, 1980, in Collegeville. The two teams met against on Nov. 22, 1985, at St. Cloud State's Thanksgiving tournament, but not again the 2004-05 season. Saturday's contest will be the first between the two programs in Duluth.