Saint John's plays host to Gustavus Adolphus for a 3 p.m. game Saturday, Jan. 26, in Sexton Arena. – Listen Live (Real Audio Player) | Live Stats | Live Video
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (8-10, 7-6 MIAC) made a school-record 17 three-pointers in a 85-64 win at Macalester, the Johnnies' fifth victory in a row, on Jan. 23 in St. Paul. SJU took advantage of Macalester's 2-3 zone defense with nine three-pointers (9-for-17) to gain a 43-35 lead at halftime. Junior Jack Wittenborg (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) and freshmen Mitchell Kuck (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) and Alex Schmitt (Chaska, Minn./Waconia) combined for 31 points and a 7-for-9 showing from behind the arc in the first half. The Scots shot 52.2 percent (12-for-23) from the field and made eight of their nine free-throw attempts in the first half, but committed nine turnovers. The Johnnies started the second half with a 22-9 run and made eight of their 10 three-point attempts in the game's final 20 minutes. Schmitt led SJU with a career-high 19 points and five three-pointers off the bench. Kuck and Wittenborg followed with 14 and 12 points, respectively, while junior Seth Marx (Maple Grove, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) posted 14 points. The four combined for a 15-for-23 (65.2 percent) showing from three-point land. Senior Chris Neumann (Winsted, Minn./Holy Trinity) was held to only two points in the night's three-point-happy offense, but added nine rebounds and three blocks. SJU committed only five turnovers in the game and tallied 12 points off 14 Macalester miscues.
RAINING THREE'S AT MAC: Coincidentally, the previous school record of 16 treys was recorded twice (Jan. 10, 1991; Feb. 12, 1992) at Macalester. The Johnnies' top two individual performances from three-point range were also recorded against the Scots, in St. Paul: 11 from Larry Bassett on Feb. 12, 1992, and nine from Bryan Blascziek on Nov. 23, 1988.
TURNOVER TWIST: SJU has committed 43 turnovers during its current five-game winning streak, an average of 8.6 per game, and has scored 61 points off 61 turnovers forced (12.2 tfpg.). The ratio of turnovers forced-to-turnovers committed is 33-17 in favor of the Johnnies over the last three contests.
SECOND-HALF CONTROL: The numbers behind the Johnnies' current five-game winning streak also display impressive and efficient second-half play. SJU shot 50.0 percent (69-for-138) from the field in the second half of its last five games, including 46.1 percent (41-for-89) from three-point range. The Johnnies also collected 42 assists on their 69 baskets.
APPROACHING NO. 18: SJU head coach Jim Smith (751-531 record in 49 seasons at SJU) became the 19th coach in college basketball history, all divisions (NCAA), to reach 750 coaching victories in the 73-66 win over Carleton Jan. 21. He is now four wins from tying, five from passing, long-time (1935-70) Oklahoma State head coach Hank Iba (755-340 career record) for 18th on the NCAA's all-time wins list.
A LOOK AT THE GUSTIES: Gustavus Adolphus (10-8, 7-6 MIAC) dropped its second straight game Jan. 23 in an 82-62 loss at Bethel. The Gusties faced a 12-point deficit at halftime and trailed by as many as 27 points in the second half before cutting the margin to 20. Senior Jim Hill leads the team in scoring (16.3 ppg.) and rebounding (4.8 rpg.), while senior Ben Biewen is close behind with an average of 15.2 points per game. Prior to its current two-game skid, GAC won eight of its previous nine games, including the forfeit victory over Hamline Jan. 5. The Gusties are shooting 50.2 percent from the field and tout a .763 shooting percentage from the three-throw line.
EARLIER THIS SEASON: Saint John's earned its first win of the season with a hard-fought 69-65 victory at Gustavus Adolphus this past Dec. 1 in St. Peter. Marx led SJU with 32 points, including eight three-pointers, both of which were career highs. He finished 9-for-13 from the floor, eight of 11 from three-point range, and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line with nine rebounds and two blocks. Marx drained two free throws with nine seconds left to seal the win, which is just the Johnnies' third in their last 13 trips to St. Peter. SJU led 35-27 at the half, but Gustavus started the second half with a 10-1 run to take a 37-36 lead. The game was tied on six more occasions before the Johnnies gained an eight-point lead (67-59) on a trey from Marx with 3:05 left. Neumann added 12 points on six-for-seven shooting and eight rebounds, while junior Nick Meyer (Plymouth, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) added eight points. Junior Kevin McKenzie (De Pere, Wis./Notre Dame Academy) collected four points, six assists and two steals with no turnovers. SJU committed only five turnovers in the game, two of which occurred in the final minutes. The visitors shot 51 percent (26-for-51) in the game, including 53.3 percent (8-for-15) from beyond the arc. Jim Hill led GAC with 16 points and Blake Shay added 12. The Gusties left nine points at the free-throw line (12 of 21), including six in the second half alone.
SERIES HISTORY: SJU's Jim Smith is 51-54 all-time against Gustavus Adolphus. GAC has won 18 of the last 26 meetings. The Johnnies are 30-20 at home against the Gusties, though Gustavus has won five of the last six meetings in Sexton Arena.
