Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash. – Saint John's basketball saw its five-game win streak end with a 65-56 loss at Whitworth (Wash.) on Tuesday, Dec. 20.

The Johnnies (7-3, 5-1 MIAC) led by as much as 14 (38-24) with 17:46 to play and by nine (50-41) with 8:37 left, but the Pirates (5-4, 1-1 NWC) went on a 15-0 run to gain a 56-50 lead until junior wing Ryan Thissen (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview) finally ended the drought with 3:12 remaining. Thissen cut the Johnnies' deficit to three (59-56) with 48 ticks on the clock, but the home team scored the game's final six points.

SJU was in the bonus with 10:27 left in regulation, but only attempted five shots (3-for-5) at the free-throw line the rest of the way. Whitworth went to the line 17 times (15-for-17) in the second half to the Johnnies' seven (4-for-7) overall. The Johnnies entered the game at 71.4 percent from the charity stripe so far this season and finished at 5-for-11 (45.5 percent). The Pirates, meanwhile, shot 16 percent (19-for-22, 86.4 percent) above its season average (70.0 percent) at the line.

Thissen led SJU with 19 points, while junior guard Brandon Adelman (New London, Minn./New London-Spicer) added 11 points – all in the first half – off the bench.

The Johnnies were without their second-leading scorer (13.4 ppg.) and top three-point shooter (50.0 percent/26-for-52) - sophomore guard Kooper Vaughn (St. Charles, Minn.) - due to illness.

SJU held Whitworth to just six points in the first 11:46 of the game and shot 51.9 percent (14-for-27) in the first 20 minutes to take a 32-23 lead into the break. The Johnnies went just 1-for-4 at the free-throw line in the first half, in which all four attempts were on the backend of a traditional three-point play opportunity. 

JT McDermott led all scorers with 24 points for Whitworth, which shot 54.5 percent (12-for-22) in the second half to finish at 43.8 percent (21-for-48) for the game. SJU dropped to 40 percent (10-for-25), including 0-for-8 from three-point range, in the second half to end at 46.2 percent (24-for-52) overall.

The Johnnies complete the trip with a 4 p.m. PT tip-off against Linfield (Ore.) on Wednesday, Dec. 21, in Spokane, Wash.