ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The fifth-seeded St. Olaf College men's basketball team saw its season come to an end with a 76-57 loss to top-seeded Saint John's University in the semifinals of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs on Friday night at the College of Saint Benedict's Claire Lynch Hall.

All five Saint John's (22-4) starters scored in double figures and the Johnnies shot 54.7 percent from the field in the game to advance to Sunday's championship game. Sophomore Connor Martin had a game-high 19 points for St. Olaf (16-11), which was appearing in the semifinals for the fifth time in its last six appearances in the tournament. The game was moved to the campus of Saint Ben's due to a water main break and resulting power outage at Saint John's.

The loss brought an end to the careers of the Oles' four-man senior class of Dominic Bledsoe, Niko Polydorou, Joe Thursby, and Carter Uphus. The quartet helped St. Olaf to MIAC Playoff appearances in all three of their full collegiate seasons, while Bledsoe was part of the 2017-18 team that made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Zach Hanson, Colton Codute, and Kooper Vaughn scored 16 points apiece for the Johnnies, while Ryan Thissen had 12 points, and Mitchell Plombon added 10. Hanson pulled down a team-high nine rebounds and handed out four assists for Saint John's, which committed just six turnovers in the game and outscored the Oles by a 42-26 margin in the paint.

Martin was 8-for-17 from the field on his way to a game-high 19 points for St. Olaf, while Nathan Hendler added 11 points and six rebounds. The Oles trailed by just four, 34-30, at halftime before being outscored by 15 points in the second half.

St. Olaf led for 13:39 in the opening half after jumping out to a 12-5 lead six minutes in thanks to seven early points from Martin. A Codute three-pointer with 4:32 remaining in the half gave Saint John's its first lead since 2-0 at 27-26. The Johnnies outscored the Oles by a 12-4 margin over the final 6:45 of the half and went into the locker room with a 34-30 lead following a Vaughn three-pointer in the closing seconds.

The four-point lead was the largest of the game at the time for Saint John's, which held a 12-0 advantage in points off turnovers in the opening 20 minutes to help overcome St. Olaf's 19-10 edge on the glass.

Vaughn started the second half with a three-pointer to stretch the Johnnies' lead to 37-30, but the Oles responded with jumpers by Bledsoe and Hendler to get within three with 17:47 remaining. From that point on, Saint John's went on an extended 17-4 run over the span of 7:29 to open up a 54-38 lead midway through the half.

St. Olaf trimmed a 19-point deficit to 12 twice around the five-minute mark but could not get any closer, as Saint John's shot over 50.0 percent in both halves. The Johnnies will host sixth-seeded Macalester in the title game on Sunday, Feb. 27 after the Scots upset second-seeded Augsburg, 76-74, in the other semifinal in Minneapolis.