Saint John's basketball hosts Hamline at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, in Sexton Arena. – Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats/Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (13-7, 10-5 MIAC) received 37 points from its bench and shot 51.6 percent (32-for-62) from the field in a 79-60 win – the 150th of head coach Pat McKenzie's career – over Gustavus Adolphus Wednesday (Feb. 1) in Collegeville.
 
The Johnnies entered the game with the sixth-best shooting percentage (.497) in NCAA Division III and recorded 23 assists on 32 made field goals. The home team shot 61.1 percent (22-for-36) inside the arc, including 72.2 percent (13-for-18) in the second half.
 
SJU held GAC to 29.6 percent (8-for-27) from the field in the first half for a 36-28 halftime lead. The Gusties made five of their first six shots of the second half, including all three attempts from three-point range, to cut the Johnnies' lead to four (45-41). Sophomore guard Kooper Vaughn (St. Charles, Minn.) responded with a three-pointer to extend the lead and junior wing Ryan Thissen (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview) answered with buckets both times Gustavus made it a five-point game on the next two possessions. Five points was the closest GAC would get as SJU eventually broke an eight-point game open with an 11-0 run over a four-minute span.

Thissen led SJU with 16 points and three teammates scored in double digits off the bench. Junior guard Brandon Adelman (New London, Minn./New London-Spicer), who was fresh off his career-high 17 points in Monday night's loss at Concordia, totaled 12 points, six rebounds and four assists. Freshman guard Kyle Johnson (Prior Lake, Minn./DeLaSalle) tallied a career-high 11 points and junior guard Blake Berg (West Fargo, N.D./Sheyenne) added 10 points and four assists. The trio combined to shoot 7-for-12 from behind the arc.
 
Vaughn ended the night with eight points and a career high six assists, while senior post Mitchell Plombon (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) just missed a double-double with nine points and nine boards.
 
Spencer Swanson, the reigning U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division III Men's Basketball National Player of the Week, led all scorers with 17 points on 7-for-20 shooting.
 
WIN NO. 150: McKenzie '04 currently has a 150-44 (.773) record in eight seasons as head coach, including a 110-29 mark in conference play.

STAT COMPARISONS: SJU leads Hamline in all six major statistical categories in conference play. The Johnnies currently lead the league in scoring defense and shooting percentage. 

Scoring Offense
6. SJU, 71.7 ppg. (71.0 overall)
7. HAM, 71.4 ppg. (71.1 overall)

Scoring Defense
1. SJU, 61.7 ppg. (62.8 overall *No. 21 in Division III)
7. HAM, 72.3 ppg. (71.0 overall)

Shooting Percentage
1. SJU, .518 (.498 overall *No. 6 in Division III)
8. HAM, .444 (.438 overall)

Three-Point Percentage
5. SJU, .360 (.352 overall)
7. HAM, .337 (.324 overall)

Free-Throw Percentage
4. SJU, .767 (.761 overall *No. 20 in Division III)
5. HAM, .719 (.690 overall)

Rebounding
2. SJU, 34.1 rpg. (34.7 overall)
10. HAM, 31.3 rpg. (32.9 overall)

A LOOK AT THE PIPERS: Hamline (11-9, 7-8 MIAC) opened a three-game stretch away from the friendly confines of Hutton Arena with an 85-67 loss Wednesday night (Feb. 1) at Bethel. The Royals led the entire game and closed the first half with a 20-4 run for a 43-26 halftime lead. Sophomore (6-foot-6) forward Austin Holt scored a career-high 25 points to go with five rebounds and four assists. He leads the MIAC with 10.6 boards per game. Sophomore (6-foot-4) wing Bradley Cimperman, who leads the team in scoring (20.2 ppg.), was the other Piper in double figures with 14 points. HU is currently fourth in NCAA Division III in fewest turnovers committed per game (10.0) and 15th in fewest fouls committed (13.5) per contest.

EARLIER THIS SEASON: SJU outscored Hamline 42-16 in the second half to win its fifth-straight game, 75-46, earlier this season on Dec. 10 in St. Paul. Three days after SJU held Macalester to 14 points in the second half, including four over the game's final 12:34, the Johnnies broke open a 33-30 halftime score with the second half's first 11 points in an eventual 19-4 run (52-34) and never looked back. Hamline scored two points in the first 6:49 after halftime and went 4-for-24 from the field, including 0-for-10 from behind the three-point arc, in the second half.
 
The Johnnies shot above 59 percent for the fourth-consecutive game – 60.8 percent (31-for-51) – and outrebounded the Pipers by a 36-21 margin. HU finished at 28.3 percent (15-for-53) overall and 24 percent (6-for-25) from three-point range.
 
SJU shot 58.3 percent (14-for-24) from the field and outrebounded the home team 18-9 in the first half, but committed nine turnovers and led by only three (33-30) at the break. The Pipers cut into a 10-point SJU lead (29-19) by taking an 11-4 run into halftime. 
 
The visitors made seven of their first nine shot attempts and went 3-for-3 at the free-throw line in the 19-4 run to start the second half.
 
Thissen led all scorers with 20 points, his fourth 20-point game of the season and 11th of his career. Vaughn followed with 16 points, 11 of which came in the second half on a 3-for-3 showing from three-point.
 
Senior post Carson Schoeller (Prior Lake, Minn.) and sophomore guard Zach Longueville (Eagan, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran) added seven points apiece. Schoeller grabbed 10 rebounds and Longueville led SJU with five assists.
 
Holt led HU with 18 points. The Pipers' top two scorers, Cimperman and Daniel McCarrell, combined for 12 points on 4-for-20 shooting (2-for-8 from three-point).
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 95-26 against the Pipers since 1964-65, including a 53-8 record in Collegeville. SJU has won each of the last 16 meetings overall.