Jim Smith became just the second Division III men’s basketball coach to win 700 games when his St. John’s (Minnesota) squad beat Division II opponent Minnesota State Moorhead over the weekend.

Smith, who is in his 46th season at St. John’s, becomes the 27th NCAA coach to reach the milestone. In Division III, only Franklin & Marshall’s Glenn Robinson has won more games, with 758 victories.

“It was just fun to get the win,” Smith told the St. Cloud (Minnesota) Times.

The 81-79 victory came in the Radisson Suite St. Cloud Hoopster Classic against the Johnnies’ second straight Division II foe. They lost an overtime contest Friday night against St. Cloud State.

“The wins have not been coming very easy for us lately,” Smith said. “I’m really proud of our team. I think they were happier about 700 than I was. They were really fired up. To me, it’s just another game that I’ve coached.”

Sophomore Andrew Latzke put the Johnnies ahead to stay with a three-pointer with 11 seconds to play.

“(Smith is) a great guy and it’s a great honor to play for him,” Latzke told the Times. “We love being around him. He’s a great coach.”

Smith has led the Johnnies to eight appearances in the Division III Men’s Basketball Championship, most recently in 2007. He has coached his teams to 30 winning seasons and seven Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles, as well as five conference postseason-tournament championships.

A player at Marquette during the mid-1950s, Smith also is an associate professor of physical education at St. John’s and has coached golf, cross country and track at the school.