Saint John's basketball returns to action tonight (Monday, Jan. 10) with a 7 p.m. home game against St. Olaf in Sexton Arena. - Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats/Live Video | Spectator Policy

SPECTATOR POLICY: Saint John's University updated the spectator policy for its home basketball games in Sexton Arena.

-Masks are required at all times (this has been the policy all season long).

-Spectators must maintain 6 feet of social distancing (and 12 feet from student-athletes/coaches/staff).

-Capacity will be reduced to 70 percent. Seating will be staggered by section, every-other row, for social distancing. 

-Fans/parents must sit within their family or friend group and should remain in their seats for the duration of the event (no moving seats, socializing, etc.). 

-Fans will not be allowed to gather with the student-athletes at the conclusion of the game.

-The concession stand will not be open.

Tickets
-Advanced tickets sales encouraged on www.gojohnnies.com/tickets for all fans. General tickets will also be for sale at the ticket booth.

-CSB/SJU students need to download their free ticket to each home game from www.gojohnnies.com/tickets with their Banner ID. 

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (9-2, 7-0 MIAC) closed fall semester with an 80-51 victory over Carleton back on Dec. 14 in Sexton Arena. The Johnnies' shooting percentages matched, both overall (33-for-54) and from three-point range (11-for-18), at 61.1 percent. The home team scored 21 points off 16 Carleton turnovers and totaled 38 points off the bench.

The Knights cut their deficit to three points on two occasions after the midway point of the opening half. The first was with a 23-20 at the 8:08 mark, but SJU answered with an 8-0 run. The second was 31-28 with 2:37 on the clock, and the Johnnies responded with a 10-2 run to take a 41-30 lead into intermission. 

The Johnnies went 7-for-10 from behind the arc in the second half and led by 20 points or more for the game's final 15:06.

Sophomore guard Jared Rainey (Maple Grove, Minn.) led five Johnnies in double figures with 15 points on a perfect 5-for-5 night from the field (3-for-3 from three-point range).

Junior post Mitchell Plombon (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) and freshman guard Zach Longueville (Eagan, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran) followed with 12 points apiece off the bench. Plombon went 6-for-8 from the floor, including 5-for-5 in the first half, while Longueville posted a 4-for-7 performance from long range for the career-high 12 points.

Sophomore wing Ryan Thissen (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview) added 11 points and a team-high six rebounds, and senior post Zach Hanson (New Prague, Minn.) scored 10 points (5-for-6 shooting) in 20 minutes of play. 

Luke Harris led Carleton with 18 points. The Knights were whistled for only four fouls (to the Johnnies' 15), but finished at 39.1 percent (18-for-46) overall and 2-for-13 (15.4 percent) from behind the arc.

CRUISING INTO BREAK: The Johnnies ended the fall portion of their 2021-22 schedule with a seven-game win streak. SJU shot 53.7 percent from the field, including 44.6 percent from three-point range, in the seven games. Individually, Thissen led SJU in scoring (15.6 ppg.) and rebounding (5.3 rpg.), while Hanson totaled a team-best 22 assists and .593 shooting percentage (35-for-59) with 11.9 points per game. Longueville (13-for-26) and classmate Kooper Vaughn (21-for-43; St. Charles, Minn.) combined to shoot 49.3 percent (34-for-69) from three-point range.

NCAA STATS: SJU is currently in the top 20 statistically in NCAA Division III in three categories: seventh in shooting percentage (.508), 11th in fewest fouls committed per game (13.4) and 16th in fewest turnovers per game (10.7).

STAT COMPARISONS: The Johnnies currently lead the MIAC in two statistical categories - shooting percentage (overall and from three-point) - in conference play.

Shooting Percentage
1. SJU, .530 (.508 overall, No. 7 in Division III)
7. STO, .444 (.452 overall)

Three-Point Percentage
1. SJU, .448 (.368 overall)
11. STO, .262 (.281 overall)

Free-Throw Percentage
2. SJU, .763 (.738 overall)
7. STO, .641 (.689 overall)

Rebounding
t5. STO, 34.0 rpg. (34.8 overall)
9. SJU, 32.8 rpg. (33.1 overall)

A LOOK AT THE OLES: St. Olaf (7-5, 3-4 MIAC) travels to Collegeville tonight riding a two-game losing streak on the road. The Oles suffered an 83-66 loss Thursday night (Jan. 6) at Concordia and a 71-61 decision Saturday (Jan. 8) at Bethel. STO held Bethel to a season-low-tying 25 first-half points for a five-point halftime lead, but the Royals shot 62.5 percent (15-for-24) from the field in the second half to earn the win. Senior (6-foot-0) guard Dominic Bledsoe leads the team in scoring (12.3 ppg.), while junior (6-foot-6) forward Charlie Haff is the other Ole averaging in double figures (10.9 ppg.) and touts a team-leading 7.1 rebounds per contest.

TWO YEARS AGO: The Johnnies swept the season series during the 2019-20 season, 91-75 in Northfield and 68-53 in Collegeville, and handed the Oles a 71-43 defeat in the MIAC semifinals on Feb. 27 in Sexton Arena. Down by one (17-16) with nine minutes to play in the first half, then-No. 3 SJU opened a double-digit lead (34-21) with an 18-4 run into the break. 

The Johnnies made all 10 of their shots from inside the arc in the second half, 75 percent (18-for-24) for the game, and broke the game wide open with a 19-2 run to build a 31-point lead (65-34) with 4:33 to play.

Jubie Alade '20 led all scorers with 17 points, on 7-for-9 shooting, with four rebounds and three steals. 

SJU out-rebounded St. Olaf 36-25 and scored 21 points off 10 turnovers, including 14 points off seven miscues in the first half.

Hanson followed Alade with 14 points and a game-high seven rebounds. (Now assistant coach) Sean Ryan '20 was the third Johnnie in double figures with 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals off the bench.

The Johnnies finished at 53.2 percent (25-for-47) for the game and just 30.4 percent (7-for-23) from three-point range. SJU was 14 of 15 from the free-throw line.

Each team was without one of its leaders, as Lucas Walford '20 did not play due to illness. Nate Albers, the Oles' leading scorer (14.8 ppg.) and rebounder (6.5 rpg.), did not play due to injury.

Noah Beck led STO with 13 points on 5-for-15 shooting. The Oles recorded season lows for points and shooting percentage (.309, 17-for-55) in the loss.

SERIES HISTORY: SJU is 70-34 against St. Olaf since the 1964-65 season, including a 44-9 record in Collegeville. The Johnnies have won each of the last six meetings in Sexton Arena and 10 of the last 12 overall.