Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's basketball locked up the MIAC regular-season championship outright and the top seed in the MIAC Playoffs with an 89-69 win over St. Olaf on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 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).

The Johnnies (18-5, 16-2 MIAC) held St. Olaf (9-13, 8-9 MIAC) without a field goal for the game's first 7:11 and shot 59.3 percent (16-for-27) from the field, including 13-for-17 (76.5 percent) inside the three-point arc, to build a 45-25 halftime lead.

SJU led by as much as 38 (85-47) with 7:51 remaining in the game before the Johnnies' top-11 (in terms of minutes) left the game for good.

Thirteen Johnnies scored a point or more, led by senior guard Brandon Adelman (New London, Minn./New London-Spicer) with 17 off the bench on 7-for-11 shooting. He also added four rebounds and three assists.



Junior wing Griffin Rushin (Baxter, Minn./Brainerd) followed with a career-high 16 points and five rebounds, also off the bench, and senior guard Blake Berg (West Fargo, N.D./Sheyenne) was the third Johnnie in double digits with 15 points on a perfect 6-for-6 night from the field in just 12 minutes of play. SJU outscored STO 54-17 in bench points, 21-8 on the fast break and 17-13 off turnovers.

Kobe Kirk, the reigning MIAC Men's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week, led the Oles with 23 points.

SJU finished at 53.3 percent (32-for-60) for the game, to the Oles' 38.6 percent (22-for-57), and posted a 41-25 advantage on the glass.

The Johnnies travel south to face Gustavus Adolphus (12-9, 11-5 MIAC) for a 3 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, Feb. 10, in St. Peter.