Saint John's basketball hosts a pair of non-conference opponents from Iowa this weekend in Sexton Arena, beginning with a 7 p.m. tip-off against Central on Friday, Nov. 14. SJU then welcomes Simpson at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15. - Tickets

LIVE COVERAGE
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A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: A young Saint John's (0-1 overall) team dropped its season-opener at Wisconsin-Oshkosh 90-86 last Saturday (Nov. 8). The Johnnies shot 51.7 percent (31-for-60) to the Titans' 41.2 percent (28-for-68) and out-rebounded the home team 39-35, but UWO scored 18 second-chance points thanks to 13 offensive rebounds and 17 points off 13 SJU turnovers. SJU finished 7-for-27 (25.9 percent) from three-point range and left seven points at the free-throw line (17-for-24, 70.8 percent).

SJU battled back from double-digit deficits four times – one of those a 10-point differential (73-63) with just under seven minutes remaining (6:58) – but a series of plays from junior guard Baiden Bean (Farmington, Minn.) helped swing the momentum to the Johnnies, who tied the game at 80-80 with 3:11 on the clock. 

The Johnnies missed their next three attempts, allowing Oshkosh to build just enough separation. Freshman guard Hudson Hochstedler (Monticello, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) cut the lead to one point with 14 seconds on the clock, but UWO made all three of its free throws awarded for the 90-86 final.

The season opener was the first collegiate start for all five Johnnies. 

Sophomore guard Liam Farniok (Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest) led five Johnnies in double figures with 17 points and added five assists.

Junior post Vincent Hillesheim (Minneapolis, Minn./Hopkins) collected a career-high 14 points and six rebounds, while Hochstedler added 12 points and five boards off the bench.

Freshman guard Peyton Podany (Anoka, Minn.) contributed on both sides of the ball with 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks, while junior wing Jamison Lien (Prior Lake, Minn.) rounded out the double-digit Johnnies with 10 points and a team-best seven rebounds.

Brandon Beck led six Titans in double digits with 18 points in 20:44 played. UWO received votes in D3hoops.com's preseason top 25 poll.

A LOOK AT THE DUTCH: Central (2-0 overall) started the season with two wins at Wisconsin-Superior's NBC Tip-Off Classic over Wisconsin-River Falls (68-66) and Marian, Wis. (63-56) last weekend. The Dutch return three players from last season's team that finished 17-12 overall and won the American Rivers Conference tournament after finishing 9-7 in conference play. Among those returning is sophomore (6-foot-7) forward Owen Schipper, who was named to the All-ARC second team last season after averaging 11.8 points and 6.2 rebounds across 29 starts. He is averaging 14.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in two games this year. Joining him is junior (5-foot-11) guard Bradley Curren, who started 28 games last season and averaged 6.2 points and 2.2 rebounds (10.0 and 3.5 this year). Sophomore (6-foot-3) guard Grant Uecker appeared in 29 games last season and averaged 7.8 points and 3.0 rebounds (13.0 and 7.5 this year).

A YEAR AGO: SJU obliterated a four-point, halftime deficit with a 20-2 run to start the second half en route to a 78-60 win at Central last Nov. 15 (2024) in Pella, Iowa. The visitors shot 52.8 percent (19-for-36) and out-rebounded the Dutch 20-15 in the second half. The key for the Johnnies was their defense, however, as the visitors held Central to 32 percent (8-for-25) from the floor, including 1-for-11 (9.1 percent) from three-point range, and scored 18 points off 10 turnovers in the game's final 20 minutes.

Guard Kooper Vaughn '25 led four Johnnies in double figures with 21 points for the 10th 20-point game of his career. Guard Blake Berg '24 followed with 18 points, including 13 in the second half, and added seven rebounds.

Wing Ryan Thissen '24 chipped in 12 points and guard Zach Longueville '25 made all three of his three-point attempts and was next with 11 points, as well as six rebounds and five assists. Wing Connor Schwob '24 totaled eight points, seven rebounds and three steals.

The Dutch erased a one-point deficit (27-26) with a 10-1 run before SJU closed the first half with the final four points from Thissen to cut the home team's lead to 36-32 at the break.

Central's 6-foot-10 center Joshua Van Gorp, an All-American and the American Rivers Conference (ARC) Most Valuable Player last season, was the Dutch's lone player in double digits with 29 points in addition to 11 rebounds.

SJU finished at 47.7 percent (31-for-65) for the game, including 40.9 percent (9-for-22) from behind the arc, to Central's 40-percent output (22-for-55) and 4-for-24 showing from long range. The Johnnies added 15 second-chance points on 11 offensive rebounds.

A LOOK AT THE STORM: Simpson (1-1 overall) opened the season with a 75-68 home win over Benedictine (Ill.) last Friday (Nov. 7) and followed that with a 83-71 loss at Illinois College the following day (Nov. 8). The Storm, which trailed by as much as 17 in the first half of the season-opening win, dropped an exhibition game at Division I Drake (Iowa) 89-51 Monday night (Nov. 10). Simpson returns five players from a 5-20 team, including full-time starters in senior (6-foot-0) guard Levi Gurwell and sophomore (5-foot-10) guard Cam Henderson. Gurwell was voted All-ARC honorable mention last season after averaging 11.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, and a steal per game. Henderson averaged 10.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He is averaging 23 points per contest so far this season. The Storm visit Augsburg Friday night before Saturday's trip to Collegeville.

LAST SEASON: The Johnnies broke an 18-18 tie with a 19-4 run over the first half's final 7:30 to take a 37-22 lead into the break. The visitors then opened the second half with a 25-11 run to build their largest lead of the game – 29 (62-33) – with 9:46 remaining.

A pair of Johnnie guards, Berg and senior Kyle Johnson (Prior Lake, Minn./DeLaSalle), scored 21 points apiece. Berg finished 10-for-11 from the field in 23 minutes of play, while the 21 points were a career high for Johnson off the bench. Fifteen of Johnson's 21 points came in eight minutes during the second half.

Post Luke Budzyn '25 was the third Johnnie in double digits with 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

SJU shot 47 percent (31-for-66) for the game, including 37 percent (10-for-27) from three-point range, and out-rebounded the Storm (1-3 overall) by a 39-31 margin. The Johnnies scored 14 points off 12 turnovers and held Simpson to 33.3 percent (16-for-48) from the field and 4-for-19 (21.1 percent) from behind the arc.