Saint John's basketball travels to Carleton for a 7 p.m. game on Wednesday, Feb. 8, in Northfield. – Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats/Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Hamline shot 59.1 percent (13-for-22) from three-point range – 26.7 percent above its season average – in an 88-72 win over Saint John's (13-8, 10-6 MIAC) last Saturday (Feb. 4) in Sexton Arena.

The win snapped HU's 16-game losing skid against SJU and was the Pipers' first in Collegeville since 2006 (ninth since the 1964-65 season).

Hamline entered the game seventh in the MIAC in three-point percentage (.337, .324 overall) and eighth in overall shooting percentage (.444, .438 overall) in conference play. The Johnnies (13-8, 10-6 MIAC), meanwhile, took the court as the conference leader in shooting percentage in league play (.518) – sixth overall (.498) in NCAA Division III – and fifth from behind the arc (.360). SJU, however, finished at 41.9 percent (26-for-62) from the floor and a season-low 19.4 percent (6-for-31) from three-point.

Junior wing Ryan Thissen (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview) led SJU with 16 points and six rebounds, and added four assists. Senior post Mitchell Plombon (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) was the other Johnnie in double figures with 12 points.

Bradley Cimperman led four Pipers in double digits with 30 points. HU shot only 30.4 percent (7-for-23) in the second half to finish at an even 50 percent (27-for-54) for the game.

A TALE OF TWO HALVES: The Pipers shot 64.5 percent (20-for-31) from the field in the first half of Saturday's game, including a 10-for-15 showing (66.7 percent) from behind the arc. SJU led by three (9-6) five minutes into the game, but HU proceeded to make 13 of its next 14 shots, including nine consecutive and a perfect 10-for-10 showing from long range, to build a 42-24 lead with 4:09 left before intermission. HU eventually took a 52-28 lead into the half. The first-half performance was a far cry from the second half of the Johnnies' 75-46 win over the Pipers on Dec. 10 in St. Paul. On that afternoon, Hamline scored only two points in the first 6:49 after halftime and went 4-for-24 (16.7 percent) from the field, including 0-for-10 from behind the three-point arc, in the second half.

STAT COMPARISONS: As expected, the MIAC standings match the conference statistics – for league games only – as the Johnnies and/or the Knights are in the top three in all six major categories.

Scoring Offense
2. CAR, 76.7 ppg. (79.3 overall)
7. SJU, 71.8 ppg. (71.0 overall)

Scoring Defense
1. SJU, 63.3 ppg. (64.0 overall)
5. CAR, 70.1 ppg. (71.0 overall)

Shooting Percentage
1. SJU, .511 (.494 overall *No. 7 in Division III)
5. CAR, .470 (.475 overall)

Three-Point Percentage
2. CAR, .384 (.389 overall *No. 14 in Division III)
7. SJU, .343 (.339 overall)

Free-Throw Percentage
2. CAR, .783 (.744 overall)
3. SJU, .776 (.767 overall *No. 13 in Division III)

Rebounding
1. CAR, 34.6 rpg. (35.8 overall)
3. SJU, 33.9 rpg. (34.5 overall)

A LOOK AT THE KNIGHTS: Carleton (18-3, 13-3 MIAC) extended their lead atop the MIAC standings with an 86-81 win over Bethel last Saturday (Feb. 5) in Northfield. The Knights trailed by eight (15-7) five minutes into the first half but responded with a 28-7 run to gain the lead. BU answered with a 12-1 run to tie the game at 36 before Carleton took a 44-40 lead into the half. The second half went back and forth before junior (6-foot-4) guard Alex Gibbens hit a three-pointer with a minute remaining to give the Knights an 82-77 lead and the home team hit its free throws to seal the victory. Carleton was led by senior (6-foot-8) forward Jeremy Beckler's game-high 35 points and five rebounds, and sophomore (6-foot-1) guard Luke Harris added 20 points. The Knights are currently third in NCAA Division III in fewest fouls committed per game (11.7).

LAST MONTH: SJU suffered its first home loss of the season, 78-71, to Carleton earlier this season on Jan. 16 in Collegeville. The Knights shot an even 50 percent (27-for-54) for the game, including 57.1 percent (12-for-21) in the second half, and went 9-for-14 (64.3 percent) – 26.7 percent higher than their season average (37.6 percent) – from three-point range.
 
Beckler led the visitors with a career-high 36 points on 14 of 21 shooting (3-for-4 from behind the arc), while the rest of the team shot just 39.4 percent (13-for-33) from the field. He made his first six shots of the game, for the Knights' first 14 points, and the visitors led by as much as 13 (24-11) with 11:15 left in the first half. The Johnnies answered with a 19-6 run to tie the game at 30-30 but eventually trailed by one (38-37) at halftime.
 
Carleton started the second half with a 9-2 run as SJU made only one of its four shot attempts and committed three turnovers. The skid subsided as the Johnnies went on a 15-5 run to gain their first lead of the game – 58-57 – with 6:54 remaining. A pair of free throws from Thissen gave the home team its next and last lead of the game – 60-59 with 5:37 left – as Carleton responded with a 9-0 run. SJU cut the deficit to three (68-65) on a three-pointer from junior guard Brandon Adelman (New London, Minn./New London-Spicer) with 2:03 on the clock, but Beckler knocked down a shot on the ensuing possession.
 
Thissen played all 40 minutes and finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Adelman matched him with a career-high 16 points off the bench and sophomore guard Kooper Vaughn (St. Charles, Minn.) was the other Johnnie in double digits with 10 points.
 
Carleton posted a 32-31 edge in rebounds, including 8-7 on the offensive glass, but outscored SJU 10-2 in second-chance points. Fouls were 6-3 in favor of the Knights in the first half, but the whistles flipped toward the Johnnies by a 15-9 count after halftime (7-2 with 10:19 left).

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 49-34 against the Knights since the 1964-65 season, but just 19-22 in West Gymnasium. SJU has won seven of the last nine meetings overall.