Saint John's basketball visits No. 3 Wisconsin-La Crosse for a 3 p.m. matinee on Wednesday, Nov. 26. – Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (2-2 overall) shot 30.4 percent (21-for-69) from the field, including a 10-for-47 (21.3 percent) showing from three-point range, in a 74-58 loss to Whitworth (Wash.) this past Saturday (Nov. 22) in Sexton Arena.

The Johnnies made their first two shots of the game, both from beyond the arc, for an early 6-4 lead but proceeded to go 8-for-45 (17.8 percent) from three-point the rest of the way. The 47 three-point attempts are the most on record, surpassing the 16-for-44 performance in the 100-80 win at Macalester on Jan. 9, 1991. 

SJU out-rebounded the taller Pirates by a 46-43 margin, including a 16-10 advantage on the glass that the home team converted into 16 second-chance points. The Johnnies finished at an even 50 percent – 11-for-22 – from inside the arc.

A three-pointer from freshman guard Peyton Podany (Anoka, Minn.) cut the Johnnies' first-half deficit to six (33-27) with 3:01 left but the Pirates closed with a 7-2 run for a 40-29 lead. SJU shot 29.4 percent (10-for-34) from the floor and 5-for-23 (21.7 percent) from long range in the second half.

Thirteen Johnnies played 10 minutes or more in the loss. Freshman guard Noah George (Roseville, Minn./Roseville Area) led three Johnnies in double figures with 13 points in 15 second-half minutes – his first collegiate appearance – off the bench.

Sophomore post Charlie Theis (Cottage Grove, Minn./East Ridge) followed with 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds, while freshman post Evan Weichert (New Prague, Minn.) totaled 10 points and five boards off the bench.

Stephen Behil led Whitworth, which shot 40.3 percent (25-for-62) overall and 7-for-30 (23.3 percent) from three-point, with 20 points. 

COLD EVENING: The .304 shooting percentage was SJU's lowest since Jan. 21, 2017 at Carleton (28.3 percent, 15-for-53) and the program's worst at home since 2012 (30 percent, 18-for-60) vs. Division II St. Cloud State.

A LOOK AT THE EAGLES: Wisconsin-La Crosse (5-0 overall) was picked to win Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in league's preseason coaches' poll and is coming off two wins last weekend in Wheaton, Ill. The Eagles defeated the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Ind.) 84-73 on Friday before taking down the host Thunder 70-66 on Saturday. UWL returns three All-WIAC first-team selections from a team that made it to the NCAA Division III's Elite Eight last season: senior (6-foot-3) guard Dustin Derousseau, junior (6-foot-4) guard Sam Grieger and senior (6-foot-7) forward JJ Paider. Grieger was selected to the National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) All-District first team and D3hoops.com All-Region second team last season. The D3hoops.com preseason All-American is averaging 25.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game so far this season. Derousseau was also selected to the D3hoops.com All-Region second team last season in addition to All-WIAC defensive-team honors. He is averaging 16.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while Paider boasts 16.6 points and 9.0 rebounds through the season's first five games. The Eagles jumped four spots to No. 3 in last night's D3hoops.com top 25 poll. Whitworth entered the rankings at No. 25 and Wisconsin-Oshkosh is now No. 17.

LAST YEAR: Then-No. 15 SJU went cold in the game's final 5:30 in an 80-71 loss to then-No. 21 Wisconsin-La Crosse last Nov. 27 (2024) in Collegeville.

A tip-in from wing Griffin Rushin '25 gave the Johnnies a one-point lead – 64-63 – with 5:31 remaining, but the home team proceeded to make only two of its final 13 shot attempts, including a 1-for-8 showing from three-point range.

SJU finished at 40.6 percent (28-for-69) from the field, including 29.6 percent (8-for-27) from behind the arc, in the game. The Eagles did not fare much better from long range, finishing at 21.7 percent (5-for-23), but made 53.3 percent (24-for-45) of their shots inside the arc and went 17-for-20 at the free-throw line. The Johnnies attempted only eight shots (7-for-8) at the charity stripe and the visitors totaled 14 points off 11 SJU turnovers.

The game was the Johnnies' third in five days against a nationally ranked opponent.

Guard Blake Berg '25 slammed home a put-back to tie SJU's largest lead of the game – six (49-43) – with 16:07 left in the second half. The Johnnies, however, were whistled for a technical foul and UWL turned the call into a four-point play thanks to two made free throws and a basket on its offensive possession. The momentum swing eventually led to a 12-4 run for the Eagles.

Four of the team's six free-throw attempts in the second half came in the final 6:07 – a traditional three-point play from Berg at the 6:07 mark and a 2-for-3 showing from guard Kooper Vaughn '25 with 1:16 to play. Vaughn's free throws made it a three-point game – 72-69 – but UWL scored eight of the game's final 10 points.

Berg led the Johnnies with 17 points and two blocks before fouling out with 29 seconds left. Wing Ryan Thissen '24 followed with 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Rushin added 12 points and six rebounds off the bench, while Longueville was the fourth Johnnie in double figures with 11 points.

SJU shot an even 50 percent, both overall (16-for-32) and from three-point (7-for-14), and closed the first half with a 9-4 run to take a 41-37 lead into the locker room.

Grieger led all scorers with 21 points, including 15 on 7-for-11 shooting (6-for-7 inside the arc), in the second half. Paider totaled 16 points and 12 rebounds.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 5-6 all-time against La Crosse on the hardwood: 3-2 in Collegeville; 0-3 in La Crosse, Wis.; and 2-1 in St. Cloud (at St. Cloud State).

-Dec. 31, 1969: W, 96-93 in St. Cloud (SCSU)
-Dec. 26, 1974: L, 62-81 in St. Cloud (SCSU)
-Dec. 28, 1977: W, 97-90 (OT) in St. Cloud (SCSU)
-Dec. 30, 1992: L, 78-89 in Collegeville
-Nov. 27, 1993: L, 82-85 in La Crosse, Wis.
-Nov. 21, 1997: W, 72-68 in Collegeville
-Nov. 21, 1998: W, 79-72 in Collegeville
-Nov. 22, 2017: L, 63-65 at La Crosse, Wis.
-Nov. 20, 2018: W, 84-79 in Collegeville
-Nov. 8, 2022: L, 80-84 at La Crosse, Wis.
-Nov. 27, 2024: L, 71-80 in Collegeville