The Johnnie basketball team hosts Bethel for a 1 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, Jan. 14, in Sexton Arena. – Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats/Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Down two starters, Saint John's basketball (9-4, 6-2 MIAC) needed a boost against Concordia-Moorhead on Wednesday night (Jan. 11) in Sexton Arena. Luckily for the Johnnies, senior post Mitchell Plombon (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) and junior guard Blake Berg (West Fargo, N.D./Sheyenne) rose to the occasion and lifted SJU to a 70-63, overtime win.

Plombon (10.5 ppg.) and Berg (5.6 ppg.) combined for 49 of the team's 70 points as SJU outscored the Cobbers by an 11-4 margin in the overtime period. Plombon played a career-high 41 minutes and totaled 25 points, on 10-for-14 shooting, and 13 rebounds for his second double-double of the season and fifth of his career. Berg, meanwhile, scored a career-high 24 points, including 19 after halftime.

SJU was without its leading scorer (17.8 ppg.) and top playmaker (42 assists) - junior wing Ryan Thissen (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview) - due to illness, as well as senior post Carson Schoeller (8.5 ppg./7.3 rpg.; Prior Lake, Minn.) because of injury.

Tied at 59 at the end of regulation, Berg drained a three-pointer and answered CC's score on the other end with a layup to give SJU a 64-61 lead with 1:53 remaining. The Cobbers' Jackson Jangula made one of two free throws to make it a two-point game (64-62) with 40 seconds on the clock, but SJU drained all six attempts at the charity stripe to seal the victory.

The home team led by as much as nine (22-13) with 4:23 left before intermission, but the Cobbers cut the deficit to one with a 10-2 run before Berg hit a trey for a 27-23 lead at the break. The Johnnies led by as much as eight in the second half and by seven (46-39) with 7:18 left, but again CC responded with an 8-3 run to gain its first and only lead of the frame. SJU went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line on its last two trips, the last by sophomore guard Zach Longueville (Eagan, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran) with 13 ticks remaining, and CC's Rowan Nelson tied the game on a layup with five seconds left in regulation. 

SJU shot 39.7 percent (23-for-58) for the game, but just 23.8 percent (5-for-21) from three-point range. The Johnnies did not attempt a free throw in the first half and bounced back from a 13-for-19 performance (68.4 percent) in the second with a perfect 6-for-6 showing in overtime.

Sophomore guard Kooper Vaughn (St. Charles, Minn.) was the third Johnnie in double figures with 11 points and eight rebounds.

Matthew Johnson led Concordia with 21 points, including makes on all 11 of his shots from the charity stripe. The Cobbers shot 30.9 percent (17-for-55) for the game, but stayed in the game thanks to an 85.2-percent clip (23-for-27) at the free-throw line. The visitors went 6-for-26 (23.1 percent) from the floor in the first half and made only one of their seven shots in overtime.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE x2: Wednesday's contest was the first against the Cobbers in Sexton Arena for Plombon, who recorded his second-consecutive double-double against the team. He posted 10 points and 10 rebounds in the Johnnies' 80-65 win last Jan. 29 (2022) in Moorhead for the second double-double of his career. Plombon missed SJU's other meeting with CC last season due to injury and recorded two points in eight minutes off the bench in his first and only other showing on Jan. 22, 2020, in Moorhead. 

CORNHUSKING CONTINUES: With Wednesday night's win, SJU improved to 83-35 against Concordia since the 1964-65 season, including a 52-7 record in Collegeville. SJU has now won each of the last 10 meetings overall and 14 of the last 16 in Sexton Arena. Both losses were decided by three points or less.

STAT COMPARISONS: Saturday's teams are on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to scoring defense in conference play, but are more similar from the free-throw line and in rebounding.

Scoring Offense
4. BU, 73.4 ppg. (71.7 overall)
8. SJU, 70.5 ppg. (69.8 overall)

Scoring Defense
1. SJU, 57.4 ppg. (60.8 overall *No. 15 in Division III)
11. BU, 79.9 ppg. (80.1 overall)

Shooting Percentage
2. SJU, .516 (.487 overall *No. 18 in Division III)
6. BU, .464 (.437 overall)

Three-Point Percentage
4. SJU, .375 (.357 overall)
11. BU, .305 (.307 overall)

Free-Throw Percentage
4. BU, .743 (.741 overall)
5. SJU, .730 (.738 overall)

Rebounding
2. SJU, 34.8 rpg. (35.4 overall)
3. BU, 32.8 rpg. (32.3 overall)

A LOOK AT THE ROYALS: Bethel (4-10, 2-7 MIAC) suffered a 77-65 loss at Saint Mary's on Wednesday night (Jan. 11) in Winona. SMU shot exactly 48.4 percent (15-for-31) from the field in each half and went 5-for-9 from behind the arc after halftime to earn the win. Junior (6-foot-7) forward Zach Doely led BU with 23 points and nine rebounds, while junior (6-foot-4) guard Joey Kidder added a career-high 20 points, including 18 in the second half. Doely leads the team in scoring (18.8 ppg.) and rebounding (10.5 rpg.), and freshman (6-foot-2) guard Payton Thomsen is next at 14.4 points per contest.

LAST SEASON: The Johnnies and Royals faced each other last season – the first meeting on Jan. 5 (2022) in Arden Hills was canceled due to COVID-19 – and SJU posted a 72-51 victory back on Feb. 2 (2022) in Collegeville.

The Johnnies opened the second half with a 12-0 run and led by as much as 27 in the victory. SJU shot 60.7 percent (17-for-28) overall and 7-for-13 from three-point range in the second stanza to finish at 54.7 percent (29-for-53) from the floor.

Vaughn led all scorers with a career-high 21 points on 7-for-9 shooting (4-for-6 from behind the arc). Guard Colton Codute '22 was the other Johnnie in double figures with 10 points and led SJU with five rebounds. Ten different Johnnies scored two points or more on the night.

BU scored eight of the game's first 10 points, but SJU answered with a 27-17 advantage to take a four-point lead (29-25) into the break. The Royals missed their first 11 shot attempts from long range, including a 0-for-10 showing in the first half. Joey Kidder led the visitors with 10 points and five boards.

SJU out-rebounded BU 27-23 and scored 14 points off 15 Royal turnovers.

SERIES HISTORY: SJU is 63-30 all-time against the Royals, including 40-9 record in Collegeville. The Johnnies have won 13 of the last 14 meetings in Sexton Arena and 11 of the last 16 overall.