Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's basketball ended the regular-season schedule with a convincing 87-65 win over Gustavus Adolphus on Wednesday, Feb. 16, in Collegeville.

The victory clinched SJU's (20-4, 17-2 MIAC) fourth consecutive 20-win season (not counting the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign) and 14th in program history.

The Johnnies shot a blistering 65.5 percent (19-for-29) in the first half and finished at 58.1 percent (36-for-62) for the game, while out-scoring Gustavus (14-8, 11-6 MIAC) 58-28 in the paint. SJU held GAC, which started the night as the MIAC's second-best shooting team (.479) behind SJU (.502) in league play, to 39.3 percent (24-for-61) from the field, including 22.2 percent (4-for-18) from three-point range.

The home team used a 17-4 run over a 5:25 span to build a 45-28 lead, though the Gusties scored the half's final five points to cut SJU's lead to 49-37 at the break.



The Johnnies started the second half with a 9-2 run and put together a 12-2 scoring advantage to gain their largest lead of the night, 29 (77-48), with 8:42 to play.

Sophomore wing Ryan Thissen (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview) led all scorers with 17 points, 15 of which came in the first half.

Senior post Zach Hanson (New Prague, Minn.) followed with 15 points and eight rebounds in just under 22 minutes. The 15 points lifted him past Kevin Buth '03 (1,099) and John Wiehoff '84 (1,106) into 25th in program history with 1,111 career points.

Junior post Mitchell Plombon (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) added 12 points and five rebounds, before fouling out with 4:59 remaining, and freshman guard Kooper Vaughn (St. Charles, Minn.) chipped in 11 points.

Kaleb Feahn led five Gusties in double digits with 13 points on 4-for-15 shooting.

The top-seeded Johnnies play host to the winner between eighth-seeded Hamline and ninth-seeded Saint Mary's in the MIAC quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, in Sexton Arena. The Pipers and Cardinals meet in the MIAC's first round this Saturday, Feb. 19, in St. Paul.

Sexton Arena's doors will open at 6 p.m. on Feb. 22. Tickets are $10 for adults and $2 for students (ages 5-college w/ID). Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.gojohnnies.com/tickets.