The Johnnie basketball team hosts St. Olaf at 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, in Sexton Arena. –
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A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (11-6, 8-4 MIAC) held St. Scholastica to 19.7 percent (12-for-61) shooting in a 68-37 road win on Wednesday night (Jan. 25) in Duluth. SJU meanwhile, shot 55.8 percent (29-for-52) from the field, including 62.1 percent (18-for-29) in the second half.
Twelve Johnnies recorded a point or more, led by junior wing
Ryan Thissen's (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview) 12. Senior post
Carson Schoeller (Prior Lake, Minn.) was the other SJU participant in double figures with 11 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds in 19 minutes of play.
SJU outrebounded CSS, which finished 2-for-19 from three-point range, by a 51-24 margin.
The visitors held the Saints to 13.9 percent (5-for-36) in the first half and led by 12 (27-15) at halftime. SJU broke open a 35-21 lead by making eight consecutive shots over a 4:13 span in the second half to gain a 51-27 advantage with 11:08 remaining.
SAINT IT AIN'T SO: With Wednesday's win in the books, SJU is now 11-0 all-time against St. Scholastica on the hardwood with an average margin of victory of 22.1 ppg.
STAT COMPARISONS: SJU currently leads the MIAC in three of the six major statistical categories in conference play.
Scoring Offense
5. SJU, 71.0 ppg. (70.4 overall)
6. STO, 70.8 ppg. (71.3 overall)
Scoring Defense
1. SJU, 59.8 ppg. (61.7 overall)
4. STO, 69.8 ppg. (67.8 overall)
Shooting Percentage
1. SJU, .523 (.498 overall *No. 8 in Division lll)
3. STO, .486 (.486 overall)
Three-Point Percentage
5. SJU, .369 (.357 overall)
10. STO, .315 (.350 overall)
Free-Throw Percentage
4. SJU, .752 (.750 overall)
11. STO, .629 (.629 overall)
Rebounding
1. SJU, 35.0 rpg. (35.4 overall)
4. STO, 33.1 rpg. (33.5 overall)
A LOOK AT THE OLES: St. Olaf (12-6, 8-5 MIAC) defeated Concordia-Moorhead, 73-67, Wednesday night (Jan. 25) in Northfield. The Oles used a 15-4 run to take a 37-36 lead into halftime and came out of the locker room with a 12-2 run to gain their largest lead of the game, 49-38. Concordia, however, went on a run of their own, taking a 54-53 lead with 12 minutes to go, but STO responded and never looked back. Senior (6-foot-4) forward Nathan Hendler led all scorers with 21 points and was joined by a trio of teammates in double digits: freshman (6-foot-4) guard Kobe Kirk and junior (6-foot-2) guard Connor Martin each had 13 points apiece, while senior (6-foot-5) forward Michael Meriggioli scored 12. Martin leads the team in scoring (14.8 ppg.) and assists (84).
EARLIER THIS SEASON: The Johnnies opened the conference schedule with a 73-62 loss at St. Olaf earlier this season on Nov. 19 in Northfield. The Oles shot 57.6 percent (19-for-33) in the first half to build a 48-27 halftime lead. The Johnnies cut the deficit to nine (54-45) with 13:32 to play, but STO answered with four straight points and led by double digits the rest of the way.
Thissen was the lone Johnnie in double figures with 13 points. He added six rebounds and three assists. SJU shot 50 percent (15-for-30) from the floor in the second half to finish an even 45 percent (27-for-60) for the game. STO cooled to 44.4 percent in the second half, including a 0-for-8 showing from long range, to end at 51.7 percent (31-for-60) overall.
Nathan Hendler led four Oles in double figures with 18 points. SJU outrebounded STO on the offensive glass, 10-9, but the home team posted a 15-8 advantage in second-chance points and a 33-30 rebounding margin overall. Both teams committed six turnovers, though the Oles turned the miscues into nine points, to the Johnnies' three.
SERIES HISTORY: SJU is 72-36 against St. Olaf since the 1964-65 season, including a 45-9 record in Collegeville. The Johnnies have won each of the last seven meetings in Sexton Arena and 12 of the last 16 overall.
