Box Score

WASHINGTON, D.C. – No. 21 Saint John's defeated Rowan (N.J.) 91-66 for the Tom McKavitt Classic championship on Thursday, Dec. 19, on the campus of Catholic University.

The Johnnies (10-2, 3-0 MIAC) shot 57.9 percent (33-for-57) from the field, including 61.5 percent (16-for-26) in the second half, and went 13-for-25 (52 percent) from three-point range in the victory. SJU scored points off 11 of Rowan's 12 turnovers and finished with a season-high 26.

The Profs (6-4, 4-1 NJAC) gained their largest lead of the game – four (9-5) – 3:31 into the contest before SJU went on a 14-2 run and never looked back.

The Johnnies made five three-pointers – the first three by senior guard Kooper Vaughn (St. Charles, Minn.) and the other two by senior guard Blake Berg (West Fargo, N.D./Sheyenne) – out of six possessions over a 3:21 span late in the first half to build a double-digit lead that they sustained for the remainder of the game.

Vaughn led all scorers with 24 points in 26 minutes thanks to a 7-for-12 showing from behind the arc. The seven treys lifted him past Patrick Strom '18 (232) for second in program history with 238 in his career. Assistant coach David Stokman '19 owns the SJU record with 266. The 24 points served as the 10th 20-point game of Vaughn's career and enabled him to pass John Wiehoff '84 (1,106), Joe Deignan '95 (1,113) and Matt Ohme '07 (1,121), and move into a tie with John Eisenschenk '81 for 24th on SJU's all-time scoring list with 1,129.

Berg followed Vaughn with 19 points and three assists, while senior wing Ryan Thissen (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview) totaled 10 points and tied a career high with seven assists.

Khalif Meares led Rowan, which entered the game averaging 85.4 points per game, with 19 points. The Profs shot an even 50 percent (15-for-30) in the second half to finish at 43.4 percent (23-for-53) for the game.

The Johnnies return to MIAC play in the New Year by hosting Hamline at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4, in Sexton Arena.