Saint John's basketball begins a three-game homestand by hosting Bethel at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, in Sexton Arena. – Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats/Live Video 

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 ticket 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 (15-3, 12-1 MIAC) broke open a one-point lead with a 19-2 run over a 5:05 span late in the second half to pick up an 80-65 road win at Concordia last Saturday (Jan. 29) in Moorhead. The Johnnies held a slim 56-55 lead with 8:12 to play, but proceeded to make five of its next seven shots and went 7-for-8 from the free-throw line to build a 75-57 lead with 3:07 remaining. The Cobbers, meanwhile, missed all four shots from the floor, committed two turnovers and made two of their six attempts from the charity stripe during that span. 
 
Senior post Zach Hanson (New Prague, Minn.) tied a season high with 22 points to lead all scorers, while junior post Carson Schoeller (Prior Lake, Minn.) posted career highs for points (20) and made three-pointers (4-for-7) in 21 minutes off the bench. 
 
Junior post Mitchell Plombon (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) recorded his first double-double of the season and second of this career with an even 10 points and 10 rebounds. 
 
SJU led by as much as eight (17-9) halfway through the first half, but CC ended the first stanza with a 12-5 run to take a 35-33 lead into the break. 
 
The Johnnies shot 51.7 percent (15-for-29) in the second half, including a 4-for-8 showing from behind the arc, and went 13-for-16 from the free-throw line. SJU scored 20 points off 10 Cobber turnovers and 14 second-chance points on 13 offensive rebounds as the visitors posted a 41-23 advantage on the glass. 
 
Concordia matched SJU's overall shooting percentage at .460 (23-for-50), but the league's top free-throw-shooting team (77.5 percent in conference play) went 6-for-13 from the line in the second half (12-for-20 for the game). Jackson Jangula led four Cobbers in double figures with 17 points. The team's scoring leader, Rowan Nelson (17.6 ppg.), played only 14 minutes due to foul trouble and scored four points. 

TURNING THE SERIES' TIDE IN MOORHEAD: During former head coach Jim Smith's tenure from 1964-2015, SJU was 26-27 on Concordia's home floor. Since then, head coach Pat McKenzie's Johnnies are 5-1 at Memorial Auditorium, including wins in each of the last five trips, and are victorious in each of the last nine meetings overall. 

UP TO 34TH: Hanson's 22 points lifted him past three former Johnnies - Kipp Christianson '97 (1,025), Steve Ward '75 (1,042) and Mark Lenss '78 (1,044) - into 34th in school history with 1,045 for his career. He is 12 points behind Ryan Lieser '08 for 33rd and 20 from Kevin Coleman '72 in 32nd. 

Hanson shot 57.7 percent (15-for-26) from the field and averaged 17.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in last week's pair of road wins. He is currently fourth in the MIAC in assists (50) and is tied for fifth in shooting percentage (.542).  

ONE VOTE: SJU received a vote in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll released Monday (Jan. 31). Despite not playing two games last week due to COVID-19 protocols, Augsburg moved up one spot to No. 22.

STAT COMPARISONS: SJU leads the MIAC in shooting percentage, overall and three-point, as well as scoring defense, in conference games. Bethel, meanwhile, boasts the league's top free-throw percentage.

Scoring Offense 
2. SJU, 75.8 ppg. (74.0 overall) 
4. BU, 70.8 ppg. (69.9 overall) 

Scoring Defense 
1. SJU, 60.6 ppg. (62.0 overall) 
7. BU, 68.1 ppg. (68.1 overall) 

Shooting Percentage 
1. SJU, 51.6 percent (50.7 overall) 
6. BU, 45.4 percent (46.3 overall) 

Three-Point Percentage 
1. SJU, 45.4 percent (40.3 overall) 
4. BU, 35.7 percent (33.9 overall) 

Free-Throw Percentage 
1. BU, 76.3 percent (75.5 overall) 
4. SJU, 74.2 percent (73.2 overall) 

Rebounding 
5. BU, 34.8 rpg. (34.8 overall) 
9. SJU, 32.7 rpg. (32.9 overall) 

A LOOK AT THE ROYALS: Bethel (8-8, 5-6 MIAC) suffered its second straight loss, 95-60, last Saturday (Jan. 29) at then-No. 10 (now No. 8) Wisconsin-La Crosse. The Eagles started the game with a 16-2 run and never looked back as the Eagles shot 73.3 percent (22-for-30) to take a 30-point lead (57-27) into halftime. BU shot 43.1 percent (22-for-51) overall, including 29.2 percent (7-for-24) from three-point. Sophomore (6-foot-7) forward Zach Doely leads the Royals in scoring (15.7 ppg.), rebounding (7.8 rpg.) blocks (21) and shooting percentage (.621). Senior (6-foot-5) forward Jaren Tschetter is next in both categories, 13.6 ppg. and 5.8 rpg., while junior (6-foot-0) guard Tommy Jensen is the other averaging in double digits at 12.5 ppg. and touts a team-leading 32 treys. Jensen transferred to BU following his freshman season at SJU in 2019-20. 

LAST WINTER: Then-No. 5 Saint John's recorded its lowest home shooting percentage since 2015 in an 81-58 loss to Bethel last Feb. 27 in Sexton Arena. The Johnnies finished at 41.1 percent (23-for-56) from the field, including 17.6 percent (3-for-17) from three-point range, in the loss. The Royals, meanwhile, shot 54.4 percent (31-for-57) from the field – 71.4 percent (25-for-35) from inside the arc – in the win, their first in Sexton Arena since 2009 (to snap a 12-game losing streak in Collegeville).

SJU made one of its first 11 shots and went on a 5-0 run to cut its deficit to three (10-7), but that was the closest the home team would get, as the Johnnies missed their next three attempts and committed two turnovers and the deficit ballooned to double digits. SJU shot 37.5 percent (9-for-24) and committed nine turnovers, which BU turned into 12 points, to trail 39-25 at halftime. 

The Johnnies missed 14 layups/shots in the paint, including eight in the first half. Bethel finished 21-for-26 in the paint. Three of the five misses were in the game's final five minutes. 

Sophomore wing Ryan Thissen (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview) led SJU with 15 points on 7 of 10 shooting. The rest of the team shot 34.8 percent from the floor. All 16 Johnnies played in the game, 14 of which scored a point or more.

BU's Isaiah Carver-Bagley led all scorers with 22 points, while adding seven assists and six rebounds, and Chandler Wellman collected 21 points and seven boards. The two combined to shoot 18 of 28 (64.3 percent).

The margin of defeat was SJU's worst since Dec. 11, 2013; a 71-47 defeat at the hands of Gustavus Adolphus when the Johnnies shot 38.3 percent (18-for-47) overall.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 62-30 all-time against the Royals, including 39-9 record in Collegeville. SJU has won 12 of the last 13 meetings in Sexton Arena and 10 of the last 15 overall.