Saint John's basketball travels to face Augsburg for a 3 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, Feb. 12, in Minneapolis. – Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats/Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (18-4, 15-2 MIAC) saw its seven-game win streak end with a 77-70 loss at St. Olaf Wednesday night (Feb. 9) in Northfield. The teams' three-point shooting percentages flipped, which unfortunately for SJU, fell into St. Olaf's favor. The Johnnies entered the game third in NCAA Division III in three-point percentage (.400), but finished 5-for-20 (25 percent). The Oles, meanwhile, were the second-worst three-point shooting team in the MIAC (29.9 percent) and went 8-for-17 (47.1 percent) from behind the arc.

SJU trailed by as much as 17, but brought the deficit to four (71-67) with 37.4 seconds remaining. The Oles, however, went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line the rest of the way and finished at 17-for-20 (85 percent) for the game. STO entered the night shooting 70 percent from the charity stripe in its previous 21 games.

Freshman guard Kooper Vaughn (St. Charles, Minn.) led all scorers with a career-high 27 points, including 20 in the second half. Senior post Zach Hanson (New Prague, Minn.) was the other Johnnie in double figures with 14.

SJU trailed 38-26 at halftime, two nights after allowing a total of 35 points to Hamline. The visitors shot 40.7 percent (11-for-27) and 1-for-7 from three-point in the first half, to 50 percent (14-for-28) and 5-for-7 from three-point for the Oles.

The Johnnies entered the game seventh nationally in overall shooting percentage (.500) and finished at 44.3 percent (27-for-61) on the night with 11 missed layups/shots in the paint. SJU was out-rebounded by a 39-28 margin, including 13-11 on the offensive glass, and was out-scored 21-9 in second-chance points.

Dominic Bledsoe and Connor Martin led STO with 18 points apiece. Bledsoe started the night shooting 29.9 percent (26-for-87) from three-point range but went 4-for-6 from long range. A 17.9-percent shooter from three-point land (7-for-39), Michael Meriggioli chipped in 11 points on a 3-for-4 showing from behind the arc.

WHAT'S AT STAKE: A win on Saturday would give SJU its second consecutive MIAC regular-season championship (10th overall) and the top seed in the conference tournament. Augsburg has two games remaining next week, but would not be able to reach SJU's worst-case-scenario of .842 (16-3 record) with a best-case-scenario of 14-3 (.823).

The MIAC announced Jan. 13 that the league's standings would be determined by winning percentage instead of wins and that teams must play at least 60 percent of their scheduled conference games to be eligible for the regular-season MIAC title.

NEW FRESHMAN RECORD: Vaughn went 5-for-11 from behind the arc Wednesday night to break SJU's single-season record for made three-pointers by a freshman - 53 set by Chris Schwartz '11 in 2007-08 - and now has 58 on the year. He is seven treys away from the three-way tie between Oakley Baker '21 (2019-20), David Stokman '19 (2017-18) and Patrick Strom '18 (2016-17) for eighth-most in an SJU season (65).

TIED FOR 28TH: Hanson's 14 points Wednesday night enabled him to pass Andy Burns '12 (1,068), Larry Bassett '92 (1,072) and Tim Muller '71 (1,079) into a tie with Eric Kohorst '93 for 28th in SJU history (1,080). Luke Witt '02 is next in 27th (1,093).

REGIONAL RANKINGS: The first public NCAA Division III regional rankings, which are alphabetical lists of the teams the Division III men's basketball committee considers the top teams in each region, were released Tuesday (Feb. 8). The first numerical rankings will be released next week.

Other teams listed with SJU in Region 9 include:     Augsburg, Coe (Iowa), Dubuque (Iowa), Wartburg (Iowa), Wisconsin-La Crosse, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Wisconsin-Platteville and Wisconsin-Stout. 

STAT COMPARISONS: SJU continues to lead the MIAC in shooting percentage, overall and three-point, as well as scoring defense, in conference games. The Auggies, meanwhile, lead the way in scoring offense and free-throw percentage. 

Scoring Offense
1. AUG, 81.1 ppg. (80.0 overall)
3. SJU, 73.6 ppg. (72.6 overall)

Scoring Defense
1. SJU, 58.6 ppg. (60.2 overall)
8. AUG, 68.9 ppg. (69.8 overall)

Shooting Percentage
1. SJU, 50.1 percent (.497 overall)
3. AUG, 47.4 percent (.469 overall)

Three-Point Percentage
1. SJU, 42.9 percent (.393 overall)
2. AUG, 37.0 percent (.350 overall)

Free-Throw Percentage
1. AUG, 76.3 percent (.733 overall)
4. SJU, 74.2 percent (.750 overall)

Rebounding
5. AUG, 34.8 rpg. (34.3 overall)
8. SJU, 32.8 rpg. (32.9 overall) 

A LOOK AT THE AUGGIES: Augsburg (15-4, 12-2 MIAC) snapped a two-game losing skid with a 79-61 road win Wednesday night (Feb. 9) at Saint Mary's. Junior (6-foot-4) guard Joe Palmer scored a career-high 34 points on 12-for-18 shooting, including 6-for-10 from three-point range. He also added six rebounds, three steals and two assists. Palmer currently leads the MIAC in scoring (21.7 ppg.) and rebounding (9.3 rpg.), and is third in shooting percentage (.548). Junior (6-foot-0) guard Jack Sorenson is next on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game and is fifth in the MIAC in three-point percentage (.430/40-for-93). Senior (6-foot-0) guard Matt Carik is the other Auggie averaging in double figures at 10.9 ppg. and touts a team-leading 59 assists.

A MONTH AGO: SJU clawed back from a 17-point deficit but saw its nine-game win streak end with a 67-66 loss to Augsburg nearly a month ago (Jan. 15) in Collegeville. The Johnnies had an opportunity to win the game in the closing seconds, but Hanson's jumper rattled off the rim.

SJU overcame a poor first half by shooting 62.5 percent (15-for-24) from the field and 5-for-7 from three-point range after halftime. The home team gained its first lead since the game's opening basket (Plombon) when junior post Mitchell Plombon (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) made two free throws to put the Johnnies ahead 56-54 with 6:12 remaining. 

SJU led by four on two occasions, the last with 2:42 to play (64-60). Augsburg answered with a bucket and took advantage of an SJU turnover with a three-pointer from Palmer to gain a 65-64 lead. The Johnnies had the opportunity to tie the game a minute later, but missed the front end of a one-and-one.

Palmer made it a three-point game (67-64) with a jumper as the shot clock expired and Hanson brought it back to one with 18 seconds left. The Auggies failed to take advantage of a one-and-one opportunity from the free-throw line, but SJU did the same with four seconds remaining. The rebound, however, glanced off an Auggie and the Johnnies were able to set up potential, game-tying in-bounds play under the hoop.

Plombon led SJU with a season-high 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. Hanson totaled 12 points, seven boards, four assists and two steals.

Senior guard Colton Codute (Wayzata, Minn./Orono) scored 15 points on 5-for-5 shooting (4-for-4 from three-point), all in the second half. Thirteen of the 15 points game during the six-minute stretch that lifted SJU to its first four-point lead. 

SJU made only two of its first 12 shot attempts and broke the five-point barrier with 11:17 left in the first half (to trail 19-7). The Johnnies finished the game's first 20 minutes at 36.7 percent (11-for-30) overall - including nine missed shots in the paint - and 2-for-9 from behind the arc to trail 35-24 at the break.

Palmer notched a double-double, leading all scorers with 30 points on 11 of 20 shooting (4-for-9 from three-point) and added 10 rebounds. The Auggies shot 50 percent in both halves, but cooled from 46.7 percent (7-for-15) to 25 percent (2-for-8) from downtown.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 65-59 against the Auggies since 1964-65, but just 26-37 in Minneapolis. SJU has won 14 of the last 18 meetings overall. Last year's loss at Si Melby Hall snapped a six-game win streak for SJU in Minneapolis. The six-game win streak, meanwhile, ended a dreadful 3-12 stretch on the Auggies' home floor from 2002-11.