Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's basketball suffered an 80-79 loss to Concordia-Moorhead but clinched at least a share of the MIAC regular-season title and a top-two seed in the conference playoffs (first-round bye) on Monday, Feb. 5, in Sexton Arena.

The MIAC regular-season title is the Johnnies' 11th in program history and their fourth in the last six seasons (no MIAC season in 2020-21). SJU (17-5, 15-2 MIAC) can secure the championship outright, as well as the No. 1 seed in the MIAC Playoffs, with either a win in one of its final three games or a loss by Gustavus Adolphus and Hamline.

The Johnnies shot 63 percent (17-for-27) in the first half, including 5-for-7 from three-point range (71.4 percent), to take a 41-33 lead into halftime. The margin would have been much worse, but the Cobbers (13-8, 9-7 MIAC) scored 14 points off seven offensive rebounds and were whistled for only two fouls in the first half.

The shooting percentages flipped in the second half as CC shot 61.1 percent (11-for-18) from the floor to SJU's 35.5 percent (11-for-31) despite the 13-shot deficit. The Cobbers, however, did the most damage at the free-throw line by going 22-for-26 (84.6 percent) in the second half and 24-for-29 (82.8 percent) for the game. CC entered the game shooting 70.4 percent from the charity stripe on the season.

Concordia started the second half with a 7-0 run to cut its deficit to one (41-40), but the Johnnies responded and gradually built a 57-50 lead with 10:38 to play. The Cobbers answered with a 10-0 run to gain their first lead of the game and never relinquished it.

SJU made six of its final 14 field-goal attempts but could not overcome CC's 11-for-15 showing at the free-throw line the rest of the way. The Johnnies trailed by as much as eight (77-69) with 29 seconds remaining, but trimmed it to one at the horn after senior wing Ryan Thissen (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview) and junior guard Kooper Vaughn (St. Charles, Minn.) each made a three-pointer and a pair of free throws.

Thissen and sophomore guard Kyle Johnson (Prior Lake, Minn./DeLaSalle) tied for the team lead with 17 points apiece. The 17 points were a career high for Johnson, while Thissen also grabbed seven rebounds with two steals.

Vaughn followed with 15 points on just 3-for-5 shooting (3-for-4 from three-point) and senior guard Blake Berg (West Fargo, N.D./Sheyenne) added 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting in only 14:55 due to foul trouble.

Matt Johnson led Concordia with 26 points, including 20 in the second half, and eight rebounds. CC ended the game at 50 percent (25-for-50) from the floor and outrebounded SJU, 33-28 (9-8 on the offensive glass). The Johnnies went 15-for-18 at the free-throw line.

SJU junior guard Zach Longueville (Eagan, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran) was coming off an illness and played only six minutes Monday night, while junior post Luke Budzyn (St. Paul, Minn./East Ridge) did not play due to illness.

Both of SJU's MIAC losses this season were decided by one point (74-73 on Jan. 20 at Hamline). The loss was SJU's eighth at home against Concordia since 1962 (a 54-8 record).

The Johnnies wrap up their three-game homestand with a 7 p.m. tip-off against St. Olaf (9-12, 8-8 MIAC) on Wednesday, Feb. 7, in Collegeville.