Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Despite four different players in foul trouble and the most free-throws awarded to an opponent in two decades, Saint John's basketball received 52 points off the bench and held Hamline at bay for a 75-73 win on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 10, in Sexton Arena.

The win was head coach Pat McKenzie's '04 150th in the MIAC (150-36 record in conference play, 206-64 overall). He eclipsed the 200-win mark in the second game of the season against Central (74-71 on Nov. 14).

Hamline (11-3, 3-2 MIAC) cut a 13-point SJU lead down to two in the final minute of play after the Johnnies (7-7, 4-2 MIAC) went 6:12 between made field goals, but a Liam Farniok (Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest) dagger from long range – his first points of the game – extended the differential to five (72-67) with 31 seconds remaining. Farniok made both of his free throws during the next offensive possession to maintain SJU's victorious margin with 20 ticks left.

Sophomore guard Justin Johnson (Prior Lake, Minn./DeLaSalle) led all scorers with a career-high 23 points – including a 5-for-6 showing from beyond the arc – in the absence of the Johnnies' leading scorer, his older brother Kyle, due to injury. 

Saint John's and Hamline exchanged the lead five times with eight tied scores in the first half, with neither team leading by more than five. Johnson scored the Johnnies' final 13 points of the first half to put SJU ahead of Hamline for good. He missed just one shot all game (8-for-9 overall, 5-for-6 from three-point) to go along with two rebounds, two fouls drawn and an assist. 

The Pipers occupied the free-throw line after the break, getting six calls in their favor to the Johnnies' two in the first 4:53 of the second half. HU entered the bonus 15 seconds later while the home maintained its six-point lead. 



That lead turned into a 22-12 stretch in favor of the Johnnies, with six more of the Pipers' points coming from the charity stripe. SJU earned its largest advantage – 13 (66-53) – after junior wing Jamison Lien (Prior Lake, Minn.) poured in seven points with four rebounds in a six-minute span.

Junior post Vincent Hillesheim (Minneapolis, Minn./Hopkins) capped the run with a poster dunk before Hamline fought back into the game with a 14-3 run in which SJU shot 1-for-7 and 0-for-4 from three-point range. Farniok's three and two free throws off the inbound foul kept fate in the hands of the Johnnies, who went to junior guard Baiden Bean (Farmington, Minn.) for the final play of the game. Bean crossed and tripped up his opposition on the pass from freshman guard Peyton Podany (Anoka, Minn.) to run the clock out. 

Lien finished with 13 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench, while Bean added 11 points, four assists, three steals, two rebounds and a block.

Podany scored 11 with four boards, and Hillesheim posted four points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds.

Brendan Ebel led HU with 22 points, thanks to a 13-for-18 showing at the free-throw line, and collected eight rebounds, while the Pipers' Dane DeDominces posted a double-double of 15 points and 11 boards.

The Pipers shot 40.4 percent (21-for-52) from the field and led 14-0 in fast-break points and 13-4 in points off turnovers. They missed 15 of their 43 free throws, including nine in the second half. HU's 43 attempts were the most by an opponent since Gustavus Adolphus went 35-for-47 (74.5 percent) from the charity stripe on Feb. 19, 2005 in St. Peter.

The Johnnies host Minnesota-Morris (6-7, 1-0 UMAC) for their ninth and final non-conference game at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12, in Collegeville.