SJU had three players with between 17 and 19 points. Craig Schafer provided 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way. Westman added 18 points and Ryan Lieser scored 17 on the 5-for-9 three-point shooting performance. Westman and Lieser combined to make 9-of-17 from behind the arc. Matt Ohme handed out eight assists and Paul Henrichs grabbed 10 boards.
Macalester, which also dropped a close decision in its previous game to Carleton, received 22 points and eight rebounds from Tom Conboy. Brendan Bosman contributed 17 points and nine rebounds, just missing his fifth double-double of the season. Lars Johnson added 10 points. For Conboy, it was his fourth straight 20-point performance and fifth in six games.
The first half was close throughout, with neither team enjoying more than a six-point lead. The game was tied five times in the period, which ended with Mac on top 36-35 and with Conboy and Bosman accounting for 28 points combined. St. John’s shut down Conboy and Bosman in the second half, holding them to a combined eight points, as the second period was close throughout also.
St. John’s opened up the biggest lead of the game on a Schafer three-point play which made the advantage eight points at 68-60 with 3:43 to play. Macalester, however, hung tough and chipped the lead down to just a single point at 72-71 on a Jesse Hollander (Jr., Katmandu, Nepal / Bend (Ore.) Mountain View) three-point play with :48 left. Hollander scored seven of his team’s final seven points to get the Scots within striking distance. The Johnnies then ran the shot clock down and clinched it with Westman’s NBA-range three-pointer.
Macalester gets a bye from MIAC action this weekend and returns to competition Monday (Jan. 16) when it plays host to Gustavus Adolphus at 7:30 p.m. St. John's plays Saturday (Jan. 14) at Hamline at 3 p.m.
Macalester College vs Saint John's 01/11/06 7:30 pm at Sexton Arena, Collegeville, Minn. At Sexton Arena, Collegeville, Minn. SAINT JOHN'S 75, MACALESTER COLLEGE 71 MACALESTER COLLEGE (3-10, 2-6 MIAC) Tom Conboy 7-21 7-9 22; Brendan Bosman 5-12 5-7 17; Lars Johnson 2-6 4-6 10; Jesse Hollander 2-8 4-5 8; T. Robinson-Wilson 3-5 1-2 8; Trevor Jepma 0-3 4-4 4; Nate Assel 1-2 0-0 2; Andy Stein 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 20-61 25-33 71. SAINT JOHN'S (6-6, 4-3 MIAC) Craig Schafer 8-10 3-4 19; Tyler Westman 6-12 2-2 18; Ryan Lieser 6-11 0-0 17; Matt Ohme 2-7 4-10 8; Jacob Kincaide 3-4 0-2 6; Paul Henrichs 2-8 1-4 5; Scott Schafer 1-3 0-0 2; Jason Fogt 0-1 0-0 0; Tim Veurink 0-2 0-0 0; Brady Brink 0-0 0-0 0; Kevin Markling 0-0 0-0 0; Nick Johnson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-59 10-22 75. Macalester College............ 36 35 - 71 Saint John's.................. 35 40 - 75 3-point goals-Macalester College 6-20 (Brendan Bosman 2-5; Lars Johnson 2-5; Tom Conboy 1-5; T. Robinson-Wilson 1-2; Nate Assel 0-1; Jesse Hollander 0-2), Saint John's 9-20 (Ryan Lieser 5-9; Tyler Westman 4-7; Tim Veurink 0-2; Nick Johnson 0-1; Matt Ohme 0-1). Fouled out--Macalester College-Brendan Bosman, Saint John's-Paul Henrichs. Rebounds-Macalester College 43 (Brendan Bosman 9), Saint John's 39 (Craig Schafer 10; Paul Henrichs 10). Assists-Macalester College 7 (Nate Assel 2; Lars Johnson 2; Tom Conboy 2), Saint John's 18 (Matt Ohme 8). Total fouls-Macalester College 19, Saint John's 24. A-479