Box Score

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Saint John's basketball clinched its 14th-straight berth to the MIAC Playoffs with a 74-72 win at Hamline on Saturday, Feb. 14, in Hutton Arena.

The Johnnies (14-10, 10-5 MIAC) shot 56.3 percent (18-for-32) from the field for a 43-38 halftime lead but slipped to 34.5 percent (10-for-29), including seven missed layups/shots in the paint in the final 10 minutes of play.

SJU went on a 7-1 run to gain its largest lead of the game – 11 points (65-54) – with 8:21 remaining. The Pipers (13-10, 5-9 MIAC), however, answered with a 14-5 advantage to cut the margin to two (70-68) with 3:32 left. A layup from HU's Ethan Wall-Atim made it a 1-point game (73-72) with 1:15 on the clock and junior post Vincent Hillesheim (Minneapolis, Minn./Hopkins) made the front end of a one-and-one on the other end for what proved to be the game's final points. 

The home team had the ball, following a timeout, with 13 seconds left but Raoul Vaidya's game-winning three-point attempt was off the mark.

Freshman guard Peyton Podany (Anoka, Minn.) led all scorers with 17 points and Hillesheim followed with 15 points, including 12 in the first half, and five rebounds.

Junior guard Baiden Bean (Farmington, Minn.) and freshman guard Henry Tschetter (Stewartville, Minn.) were next with 10 points apiece. Bean also collected six assists, four rebounds and two steals, while Tschetter grabbed a team-best six boards.

Dominic Dosmann led HU with 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting. The Pipers outshot the Johnnies 48.3 percent to 45.9 percent overall and posted a 39-28 advantage on the glass. SJU, however, tallied 10 points off 11 turnovers and nine second-chance points following seven offensive rebounds. Hamline finished 1-for-10 from three-point range to SJU's 5-for-18 showing.

SJU edged HU by a 75-73 score earlier this season on Jan. 10 in Collegeville.

The Johnnies return home to host Augsburg for Senior Day and the regular-season finale at 3 p.m. next Saturday, Feb. 21, in Sexton Arena.