Saint John's hosts Concordia-Moorhead in the MIAC semifinals at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, in Sexton Arena. - Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM/95.7 FM) | Live Stats | Live Video (MIAC PPV) | Tickets

FIRST 500 CSB/SJU STUDENTS: Thanks to the CSB/SJU student senates, the first 250 Johnnies and the first 250 Bennies with ID will receive free admission to Thursday's basketball game.

TICKET INFORMATION: Fans wishing to attend the game must purchase tickets online. The rate is $12 for adults and $3 for any student (5 years old and younger are free). There is no senior discount. MIAC passes are honored. No other passes are accepted. – Purchase Online Tickets

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (15-10, 11-5 MIAC) freshman guard Peyton Podany (Anoka, Minn.) tied his career best with 34 points to go with seven rebounds as the Johnnies held on to down the Auggies 81-79 this past Saturday (Feb. 21) in Sexton Arena.
    
The Johnnies had the momentum early, jumping out to an 18-7 lead on a 3-pointer from Podany but the Auggies answered with an 18-3 run for its largest lead of the game – four (25-21) – with 8:02 left in the first half. SJU, however, responded with a 20-8 run to close the half for a 41-33 halftime team. The Johnnies finished the first half 16-for-30 (53.3 percent) from the field. Podany led the way with 13 points.
 
But the Auggies battled back once again, cutting the SJU lead to just 43-40 on a layup from Elias Batala early in the second half, then taking the lead 51-50 after a 3-pointer by Trent Gomez and a pair of free throws by Batala with 12:46 to play.
 
From there, things swung back and forth with the lead trading hands 10 times before a 3-pointer by Podany with 5:07 left to go started an 8-0 run that put the Johnnies in front to stay. Augsburg cut the gap to as little as three (74-71) on a layup by Gomez with 2:36 remaining. But another 3-pointer by Podany with 2:21 to go helped SJU put things just out of reach, though the Auggies cut the gap to two on a jumper by Batala in the final second of play.
  
Junior guard Baiden Bean (Farmington, Minn.) added 15 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Senior guard Thomas Menk (Lewiston, Minn./Lewiston-Altura) made Senior Day count, finishing with a career-high 10 points and five rebounds in a career-best 28 minutes off the bench. SJU finished 31-for-63 (49.2 percent) from the field.
   
SJU outrebounded Augsburg 35-30, including a 9-5 edge on the offensive glass that turned into a 14-7 advantage in second-chance points. The Auggies, however, shot 51.9 percent (14-for-27) in the second half to finish at an even 50 percent (27-for-54) for the game and went 21 of 28 from the free-throw line to the Johnnies' 6-for-10 showing.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK…AGAIN: Podany earned his second-consecutive MIAC Men's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week honor on Monday (Feb. 23) for his performance in the regular-season finale vs. Augsburg. He scored 34 points for the second time in his last three games as SJU locked up the No. 2 seed in the MIAC Playoffs with the win. Podany finished 13 of 21 from the field, including 6-for-11 from three-point range, and grabbed seven rebounds in 32 minutes. 

Podany led the MIAC, among freshmen, in both made three-pointers (45, tied for second overall) and three-point percentage (.433/45-for-104, fourth overall); and was second in scoring (16.5 ppg., seventh overall).

BEAN HELPER: Bean is currently (through Feb. 24) third in NCAA Division III and tied for 13th in all levels of NCAA basketball with an assist-turnover ratio of +3.58 (136 assists to 38 turnovers). The 136 assists are the sixth-most in a recorded SJU season, one behind the tie between head coach Pat McKenzie '04 (2002-03) and Ryan Keating '03 (2001-02) for fourth with 137. Bean leads the team in steals (38), is tied for the team lead in blocked shots with five and is third in scoring (8.5 ppg.).

TALE OF TWO SEASONS: The Johnnies lost eight of their top-nine starters from a year ago to graduation and were just 4-7 overall before Christmas. Since the holiday break, however, SJU is 11-3.

SJU'S MIAC PLAYOFF HISTORY: The 2026 MIAC playoff appearance is the program's 32nd since the postseason tournament began in 1984-85 and the 14th-consecutive. The Johnnies are 31-22 in MIAC Playoff games, including a 21-8 record in Collegeville.

INDIVIDUAL MIAC LEADERS: In addition to the aforementioned stat accolades for Podany, Bean led the MIAC (conference games only) in assists (93) and junior post Vincent Hillesheim (Minneapolis, Minn.) was first in shooting percentage (.675/56-for-83). Bean was also second in assist/turnover ratio (+3.10) and fourth in steals (27).

SCHEDULE STRENGTH: As of Feb. 25, SJU boasts the 28th-toughest schedule in Division III. The other five MIAC playoff teams combine to average at 172nd: 

-Gustavus Adolphus: 87th
-St. Olaf: 140th 
-Concordia: 172nd
-Carleton: 228th
-Augsburg: 234th

Two other MIAC teams, St. Scholastica (88th) and Saint Mary's (113th), are between SJU and St. Olaf.

STAT COMPARISONS (ranked by conference play) 
Scoring Offense
3. SJU, 78.2 ppg. (78.4 overall)
t4. CC, 78.1 ppg. (77.0 overall) 

Scoring Defense
3. SJU, 72.0 ppg. (73.8 overall)
4. CC, 72.6 ppg. (69.5 overall)

Shooting Percentage
4. SJU, .480 (.471 overall)
7. CC, .468 (.459 overall)

Shooting Percentage – Defense
1. CC, .420 (.468 overall)
6. SJU, .461 (.400 overall)
 
Three-Point Percentage
3. CC, .358/133-371 (.350/203-580 overall)
4. SJU, .358/152-425 (.336/237-706 overall)

Three-Point Percentage – Defense
5. SJU, .332/91-274 (.333/159-478 overall)
6. CC, .338/142-420 (.315/229-726 overall)

Free-Throw Percentage
7. CC, .715/198-277 (.696/355-510 overall)
8. SJU, .711/155-218 (.680/251-369 overall)

Free-Throw Percentage – Defense
7. SJU, .736/229-311 (.748/385-515 overall)
9. CC, .743/191-257 (.708/259-366 overall)

Rebounding
1. CC, 38.3 rpg. (40.0 overall)
t3. SJU, 35.8 rpg. (36.9 overall)

A LOOK AT THE COBBERS: Concordia (20-6, 11-5 MIAC) held Carleton without a made field goal for the game's final 3:48 in a 74-52 quarterfinal win – the team's sixth-straight victory – last night (Feb. 24) in Moorhead. Senior (6-foot-6) forward Jacob Cook recorded his fifth-straight double-double and 14th of the season with 26 points and 14 rebounds, while senior (6-foot-8) forward Jackson Loge logged his 11th double-double of the year with 20 points and 15 boards. The Cobbers are sixth in Division III in defensive rebounds per game (30.0) and 10th in fewest fouls committed per game (13.5).

THIS SEASON'S MEETINGS: The Johnnies and Cobbers split this season's series with the home team winning each game.

at Saint John's 82, Concordia 65 (Dec. 6)
SJU shot 40.7 percent (11-for-27) from three-point range to hand Concordia its first loss of the season – 82-65 – on Dec. 6 in Sexton Arena. The Johnnies out-rebounded the Cobbers 43-29, including a 12-5 margin on the offensive glass, for a 20-9 advantage in second-chance points.

Following the previous game where the Johnnies shot only 22.2 percent from three (6 of 27), SJU got makes from four different players.

Kyle Johnson led the Johnnies with 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting, 4-for-6 from three-point range, with two assists and two steals.

The score was deadlocked between the two teams five times and the lead changed double that, but Bean's free throws right before halftime gave SJU the cushion it needed to carry its lead for the rest of the game. 

Concordia worked its way back within four points in the second half, but a 10-4 SJU run, which featured five points out of the hands of freshman guard Hudson Hochstedler (Monticello, Minn.) put the game out of reach.

Bean finished behind Johnson with a solid stat sheet – 13 points, six assists and five rebounds – in 27 minutes off the bench. Sophomore post Charlie Theis (Cottage Grove, Minn./East Ridge) was next with 10 points on 3-for-7 shooting with two rebounds in 19 minutes. 

Junior wing Jamison Lien (Prior Lake, Minn.) controlled the boards with 12 rebounds – six on each end of the court – alongside eight points (3-for-5) and three assists.

Cook led all scorers with 22 points, on 8 of 14 shooting, in 30 minutes. Loge (5-for-15) and Belka (5-for-11) were next with 12 points apiece.

at Concordia 71, Saint John's 69 (Jan. 28)
SJU lost a game of runs and lead changes at Concordia, falling 71-69 on Jan. 28 in Moorhead. The Johnnies watched an eight-point lead fade away late in the second half, falling scoreless for the final 4:09 of the game and missing two chances at a 1-and-1 free throw with 18 seconds remaining. Concordia scored the final 10 points of the game and cut the Johnnies' lead to one with a trey off a turnover – three of 18 Cobber points after a takeaway. 

Saint John's started the game down 7-2 after going over three minutes without a field goal. Bean relieved SJU of its drought, hitting two from the line and pulling up for two more to give the Johnnies their first lead of the game 12:55 into the first half. 

Concordia responded with a 10-point run in less than two minutes, making every shot until Podany slowed the Cobbers' roll with his and the Johnnies' first three-pointer of the day. 

Cook's fifth free throw of the game swung a 10-point lead back in favor of the home team, 29-19. Bean sparked SJU once more, scoring four points and grabbing a board on the defensive end of the court to cut the lead to six. He started a 7-0 stretch for Saint John's, and a Podany layup-and-one tied it 32-32 at the half.

Both teams exchanged seven-point runs after the break and traded the lead a total of six times in the second frame. SJU was whistled for 10 second-half fouls, helping Concordia to the bonus with 11:14 to play in the game. 

Podany and Lien combined to shoot 6 of 7 for SJU's largest and last lead of the game at 69-61. 

The Cobbers scored four in the paint and a three from Cook to cut it to one, 69-68. Bean was fouled first and missed his 1-and-1, but sophomore guard Liam Farniok (Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest) scooped up the board for a quick second chance. He was fouled immediately and missed his shot at the line to give the Cobbers the ball back, who drove to the hoop for a quick layup and the final lead exchange. 

SJU shot 44.4 percent (28-for-63) from the floor and 25 percent (5-for-20) from beyond the arc. The Johnnies made all five of their first-half free throws but missed 4 of 7 in the second half. SJU grabbed 12 offensive rebounds to Concordia's four but scored just four second-chance points.

Podany led the Johnnies with 23 points on 8-for-16 shooting (4-for-8 from three-point). He added six rebounds, two assists and a block. Bean finished with 17 points (7-for-18) and eight assists, while Hillesheim completed the double-double with 10 points and 12 boards.

Cook led all scorers with 26 points on 7 of 14 shooting. He made 9 of 10 free throws and drew seven fouls.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 87-38 against Concordia since the 1964-65 season, including a 54-8 record in Collegeville and a 3-0 mark in the postseason. SJU has won 16 of the last 19 meetings in Sexton Arena. All three losses during the span were decided by three points or less: 80-79 on Feb. 5, 2024; 74-73 on Jan. 4, 2017; and 70-67 on Jan. 9, 2013.

-W, 84-70 on March 9, 1983 in Moorhead (NAIA District 13 Playoffs)
-W, 72-67 on Feb. 23, 1995 in Moorhead (MIAC Semifinals)
-W, 69-52 on Feb. 22, 2001 in Collegeville (MIAC Semifinals)