Saint John's basketball plays host to Carleton for its final game of the fall semester at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, in Sexton Arena. - Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats/Live Video

MASKS REQUIRED: All students, employees & visitors to campus are required to wear a mask indoors, regardless of vaccination status. SJU expects masking for unvaccinated individuals in high-density outdoor events where social distancing cannot be maintained.

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (8-2, 5-0 MIAC) shot 72.7 percent (16-for-22) from the field in the first half, including a perfect 9-for-9 from three-point range, in an 85-62 win at Macalester Saturday afternoon (Dec. 11) in St. Paul.

The Johnnies finished the game at 60 percent (30-for-50) overall and 68.4 percent (13-for-19) from behind the arc for their sixth consecutive victory. The NCAA Division III record for consecutive three-pointers made in a game is 12 (Oglethorpe vs. Berry on Dec. 3, 2016).

SJU held a slim 26-24 lead over Macalester with 10 minutes left in the first half, but the visitors posted an 11-0 run. The Scots cut the deficit to eight (40-32), but the Johnnies responded with a 9-3 run to gain a 49-35 halftime lead. SJU led by as much as 25, and as little as 12, the rest of the way.

Freshman guard Kooper Vaughn (St. Charles, Minn.) led SJU with a career-high 20 points on a perfect afternoon from the floor, 7-for-7 overall and 6-for-6 from behind the arc, and also grabbed a team-high five rebounds.

Sophomore guard Jared Rainey (Maple Grove, Minn.) followed with 14 points, while sophomore wing Ryan Thissen (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview) and senior post Zach Hanson (New Prague, Minn.) totaled 11 and 10 points, respectively.

SJU was without senior point guard Colton Codute (Wayzata, Minn./Orono) for the second straight game, due to injury, but welcomed back junior post Mitchell Plombon (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral). Plombon made his first appearance since the season's second game (Nov. 6 at Wisconsin-Superior) and finished with nine points in 10 minutes off the bench.

Gabriel Ramos led Mac, which shot 44 percent (22-for-50) for the game and 54.5 percent (12-for-22) in the first half, with 23 points.

WHAT A HALF: The Johnnies' 72.7-percent (16-for-22) showing in the first half was their best shooting performance in a half since they totaled the same stats (72.7 percent, 16-for-22) in the first half of an eventual 84-79 home win over Wisconsin-La Crosse on Nov. 20, 2018. SJU's best shooting percentage in a half, on record, was 76.9 percent (20-for-26) on Jan. 14, 2017, vs. Saint Mary's. 

KOOPER HOOPER: Vaughn's 6-for-6 performance from three-point land was the Johnnies' best, in terms of percentage (minimum five made), since Troy Bigalke '01 went 7-for-7 on Feb. 26, 2000, at St. Thomas. Vaughn has started all 10 games for SJU and currently leads the MIAC in three-pointers (24).

STAT COMPARISONS
Shooting Percentage
-SJU, 49.8 percent (271-for-544)
-CAR, 48.9 percent (241-for-493)

Three-Point Percentage
-CAR, 36.9 percent (72-for-195)
-SJU, 34.7 percent (74-for-213)

Free-Throw Percentage
-SJU, 74.2 percent (118-for-159)
-CAR, 68.2 percent (116-for-170)

Rebounding
-CAR, 35.5 rpg.
-SJU, 33.5 rpg.

A LOOK AT THE KNIGHTS: Carleton (6-2, 3-1 MIAC) pulled off a high-scoring, 96-90 win over St. Scholastica last Saturday (Dec. 11) in Northfield. The Knights led by as much as 22 with 7:40 remaining and held on for the victory, thanks to an 8-for-10 showing from the free-throw line. 

All five of Carleton's starters (all underclassmen), recorded double-digit performances. Freshman (6-foot-1) guard Luke Harris and sophomore (6-foot-6) forward Matt Banovetz led the team in scoring with a career-best 20 points each. Junior (6-foot-8) forward Jeremy Beckler trailed with 19 points and sophomore (6-foot-4) guard Alex Gibbens recorded a career-best 17 points. Junior (6-foot-3) guard Beck Page ended Carleton's scoring, finishing with 11 points. Beckler leads the team in scoring (17.6 ppg.) and rebounding (4.9 rpg.).

IN 2019-20: SJU swept the season series in 2019-20.

at Saint John's 79, Carleton 60 (Nov. 20, 2019)
Then-No. 12 SJU opened its conference and home schedule with a 79-60 win over Carleton the last time these two teams met in Sexton Arena. The Johnnies shot 60 percent (18-for-30) and turned five offensive rebounds into 12 second-chance points to build a 40-32 halftime lead. SJU opened the second half with an 18-3 run (26-6 including the final 2:38 of the first half) and led by as much as 15 the rest of the way.

Jubie Alade '20, the MIAC Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week at the time, continued his impressive play with 26 points, four rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots in 26 minutes. He finished 11 of 15 from the floor (2-for-3 from three-point range).

Hanson followed with 11 points and four assists in 18 minutes. Oakley Baker '21 was the other Johnnie in double figures with 10 points, all of which came in the first half, and chipped in four assists.

Alex Battist led Carleton with 24 points and nine rebounds.

Saint John's 78, at Carleton 71 (Jan. 25, 2020)
Then-No. 2 SJU kept its win streak alive at 17 games with a 78-71 victory at Carleton in the series' last meeting on Jan. 25, 2020, in Northfield. Down 68-67 with 2:55 to play, SJU ended the game with an 11-3 run to escape West Gymnasium with the victory.

The Knights hit back-to-back three-pointers to gain the 68-67 lead and finished 8-for-15 from behind the arc in the second half (10-for-24 in the game).

Codute, who came up big in the game's final three minutes, answered with a layup on the other end to give SJU a 69-68 lead. Hanson blocked a three-point attempt and corralled the rebound on the other end, which led to Alade's pair of free throws on a 1-and-1 opportunity. SJU entered the bonus with 4:22 remaining. The game had 18 lead changes, including 12 in the second half alone.

Carleton ended the first half with a 10-0 run over the final 3:30 to cut SJU's lead to 35-29 at the break. SJU missed its final three shot attempts and committed four turnovers, including two offensive charges, during that span.

Alade led all scorers with 23 points, thanks to an 11-for-11 showing at the free-throw line, and fell one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards.

Codute followed with 17 points, on 6-for-10 shooting (3-for-5 from three-point range), and Lucas Walford '20 recorded his eighth double-double of the season and 23rd of his career with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Walford scored the team's first 10 points, on 5-for-5 shooting, and finished 8-for-10 from the field. 

Kent Hanson led Carleton with 21 points, on 8-for-21 shooting, and Isaac Tessier added 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 47-33 against the Knights since the 1964-65 season, including a 29-11 record in Collegeville. SJU has won eight of the last nine meetings in Sexton Arena.