Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash. – Saint John's basketball got back on track with a 70-55 win over Linfield (Ore.) on Wednesday, Dec. 21, on the campus of Whitworth.

The Johnnies (8-3, 5-1 MIAC) returned to their statistical selves by shooting 51.1 percent (24-for-47) from the field and 84.2 percent (16-for-19) from the free-throw line, and outrebounding the Wildcats (4-6, 1-1 NWC) by a 38-28 margin.

SJU shot 50 percent (14-for-28) in the first half and led 35-26 at the break. The Johnnies started the second half with an 8-0 run, including the first three buckets from senior post Mitchell Plombon (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral), to build a 17-point lead.

Linfield, however, chipped its deficit down to seven (50-43) with 7:31 remaining. SJU responded with a 13-2 run – eight points from senior post Carson Schoeller (Prior Lake, Minn.) and five from junior wing Ryan Thissen (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview) – to give the Cardinal and Blue its largest lead of the game (63-45).

Thissen led all scorers with 19 points and a career-high seven assists. Schoeller finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season and third of his career, and added a career-high five blocked shots. He had eight points, eight boards and four blocks in the second half. 

Plombon added 12 points and junior guard Brandon Adelman (New London, Minn./New London-Spicer) was the fourth Johnnie in double figures with 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

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

Trey Bryant led Linfield, which shot 33.9 percent (19-for-56) overall, with 16 points.

The Johnnies return to conference play in the New Year with a 1 p.m. tip-off at Saint Mary's on Saturday, Jan. 7, in Winona.