Saint John's basketball plays host to Concordia-Moorhead tonight (Monday, Feb. 5) for a 7 p.m. tip-off in Sexton Arena. – Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats | Live Video

A WIN FOR A SHARE: The Johnnies can clinch at least a share of their 11th MIAC regular-season title, and fourth in the last six seasons (no MIAC season in 2020-21), with a win in either of its final four conference games. SJU can secure the championship outright and the No. 1 seed in the MIAC Playoffs with a win and a Hamline loss, or two wins over the final four games (Hamline has five games remaining).

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (17-4, 15-1 MIAC) set a single-game, school record with 21 three-pointers in a 101-62 win over St. Scholastica on Saturday (Feb. 3) in Collegeville. The Johnnies shot 55.6 percent (35-for-63) from the field in the game, including 61.8 percent (21-for-34) from behind the three-point arc. 

Junior guard Kooper Vaughn (St. Charles, Minn.) tied the Johnnies' individual record for made three-pointers with 11 (11-for-16) and finished with a career-high 38 points and a team-high five rebounds in just 24:30 of play. He scored 14 of SJU's first 16 points to give the home team a 16-5 lead 3:54 into the game. The Johnnies shot 65.6 percent (21-for-32) from the field, including 68.8 percent (11-for-16) from long range, in the first half to take a 56-29 lead into halftime.

Senior guard Brandon Adelman (New London, Minn./New London-Spicer) made his first collegiate start and scored 11 points with a career-high nine assists. Of his nine assists, seven of them led to three-pointers, five for Vaughn. The nine assists were the most by a Johnnie since current assistant coach Garrett Goetz '18 collected nine against Gustavus Adolphus on Jan. 29, 2018. SJU totaled 28 assists on 35 made field goals on the afternoon, which were the most since the team posted 36 against Macalester on Jan. 17, 2018, in Collegeville.

Junior wing Griffin Rushin (Baxter, Minn./Brainerd) was the third Johnnie in double figures with 10 points off the bench. Thirteen Johnnies scored a point or more in the victory.

Moe Washington led St. Scholastica with 14 points off the bench. CSS shot 41.5 percent (22-for-53) from the floor and 42.9 percent (9-for-21) from three-point, but SJU scored 27 points off 15 Saint turnovers.

RECORDS: Saturday's 21 three-pointers shattered the previous program record of 17, which was registered three times: vs. Bethany Lutheran (March 2, 2018); vs. Minnesota-Morris (Nov. 19, 2016); and at Macalester (Jan. 23, 2013). Vaughn's 11 three-pointers tied the school record held by Larry Bassett '92 (Feb. 12, 1992, at Macalester).

SINGLE-GAME POINTS: Vaughn's 38 points were the most by a Johnnie in single game since Darrick Buettner '91 tallied 39 in a 93-74 home win over Concordia-Moorhead on Jan. 28, 1989. 

SJU's Top Single-Game Scoring Totals
49 - Bill Sexton vs. Macalester (3/1/54)
47 - Craig Muyres vs. Concordia (2/2/63)
41 - Frank Wachlarowicz at St. Thomas (2/16/77)
41 - Bill Christopherson at Augsburg (2/18/53)
39 - Darrick Buettner vs. Concordia (1/28/89)
38 - Kooper Vaughn vs. St. Scholastica (2/3/24)

ANOTHER 100-POINT GAME: Saturday's 100-point game was SJU's record-breaking fourth this season. The previous record was three set by the 2017-18 Johnnies. 

STAT COMPARISONS: SJU continued to lead the MIAC in five of the six major statistical categories in conference play.

Scoring Offense
1. SJU, 86.2 ppg. (83.9 overall)
8. CC, 71.6 ppg. (71.5 overall)

Scoring Defense
1. SJU, 66.8 ppg. (69.4 overall)
3. CC, 68.9 ppg. (68.0 overall)

Shooting Percentage
1. SJU, .536 (.512 overall *No. 1 in Division III)
4. CC, .478 (.463 overall)

Three-Point Percentage
1. SJU, .444 (.410 overall *No. 2 in Division III)
3. CC, .387 (.368 overall)

Free-Throw Percentage
1. SJU, .794 (.806 overall *No. 3 in Division III)
5. CC, .703 (.704 overall)

Rebounding
5. SJU, 33.9 rpg. (33.9 overall)
6. CC, 32.5 rpg. (34.0 overall)

LEADING DIVISION III: As noted above, the Johnnies take the court tonight in the top three in all of NCAA Division III in three statistical categories: the national leader in shooting percentage (.512), second in three-point percentage (.410) and third in free-throw percentage (.806). SJU is also eighth in fewest turnovers per game (9.8), 14th in scoring margin (+14.5 ppg.) and 18th in assist/turnover ratio (+1.43). Individually, Vaughn leads Division III in three-point percentage (.493/66-for-134) and is eighth in made three-pointers (66/3.14 per game).

A LOOK AT THE COBBERS: Concordia (12-8, 8-7 MIAC) suffered a 79-68 loss at Carleton on Saturday (Feb. 3). Carleton got out to an early lead over the Cobbers that stretched to 15 at halftime (37-22) and never looked back. Senior (6-foot-1) guard Matt Johnson led CC with a game-high 23 points. Junior (6-foot-6) forward Rowan Nelson added 17 points and sophomore (6-foot-6) forward Jacob Cook made all four of his field-goal attempts with 14 points. Johnson leads the Cobbers in scoring (15.8 ppg.), three-pointers (52), three-point percentage (.441/52-for-118), assists (59) and steals (21). Nelson is averaging 13.6 points per contest and Cook is next with 11.5 and a team-best 8.0 rebounds per game. 

EARLIER THIS SEASON: Saint John's handed Concordia its first loss of the season – 77-70 – earlier this season (Dec. 6) in Moorhead. Senior wing Ryan Thissen (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview) became the 40th Johnnie in program history to score 1,000 career points with a game-high 27, including 19 in the second half, in the victory. He needed 21 points and reached the milestone with a pair of free throws to give SJU a 59-52 lead with 9:44 to play. Thissen entered tonight's game 0-for-7 from three-point range this season and finished with a career-high four (4-for-4), while adding five rebounds and three assists with a perfect 7-for-7 showing from the charity stripe. The 20-point game was Thissen's first of the season and 18th of his career.
 
Concordia used a 6-0 run to tie the game at 65-65 with 3:33 remaining, but Rushin drained a three-pointer on the ensuing possession and, after the Cobbers cut it to one with 2:09 left, Vaughn hit a trey to make it 71-67.
 
Cook made one of his two free-throw attempts before senior guard Blake Berg (West Fargo, N.D./Sheyenne) hammered home a dunk with 1:13 on the clock. Both teams exchanged misses, two for SJU, and Cook cut it to 73-70 on a basket with 15 seconds left. Vaughn sealed the win when he made a pair of free throws on the next possession and two more, after Cook committed a turnover, with five seconds remaining.
 
Vaughn finished with 15 points and a trio of three-pointers (3-for-8). Berg and Rushin followed with eight points apiece. Berg went 4-for-6 from the floor and Rushin added a career-high 10 rebounds.
 
The teams entered halftime deadlocked at 33-33 thanks to a half-court heave from Johnson at the horn. He entered the game averaging a team-best 17.4 points per game but was held to just those three on the night.
 
Sophomore (6-foot-9) forward Jackson Loge led CC with 20 points, while Cook totaled 17 points and nine rebounds.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 84-36 against Concordia since the 1964-65 season, including a 52-7 record in Collegeville. SJU has won 14 of the last 16 meetings in Sexton Arena. Both losses during the span were decided by three points or less.