TACOMA, Wash. – In a game that went down to final second after 13 lead changes Wednesday, the Gustavus men’s basketball team lost a non-conference contest 77-76 at the University of Puget Sound. The Gusties fall to 4-6 overall while the Loggers move to 7-3.
After a timeout and trailing by one with 12 seconds left in the game, Gustavus missed a jumper in the paint with six seconds remaining. Wyatt Olson (So., Saint Peter), a recent transfer from Bemidji State, grabbed the offensive rebound and missed a last-second shot after a contentious final moments. The hectic final seconds were preceded by large scoring runs by both teams.
The Loggers went on a 16-2 run early in the first half, gaining their largest lead at 25-13 with 11:59 left in the first. The Gusties immediately answered with a 16-3 run, bringing the deficit down to one with 7:18 to go in the opening frame. Evan Wieker’s (Jr., St. Michael) jumper with 2:17 in the half gave the Gusties their first lead in 14 minutes at 36-35. The lead changed hands four more times to end the first with Olson making a second-chance layup, giving the Gusties a 43-40 advantage at half.
Spencer Swanson (So. Waconia) scored 10 points in the first three minutes of the second, extending the lead to 54-42, the largest of the night. The Loggers were quick to respond, scoring 10 straight points and eventually taking a 60-59 lead with 8:33 on the clock. The lead changed four more times with the Loggers gaining the last advantage at 77-76 on a free throw with 29 seconds remaining.
For the seventh time in 10 games, Swanson led the Gusties in scoring with 20 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the field. Swanson also had a game-high 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Playing in his first game with Gustavus and logging 13 minutes off the bench, Olson scored 12 points and hauled in seven rebounds. Adam Biewen (Jr. Golden Valley) added 11 points and nine rebounds, while Jake Guse (Sr., Waseca) had 10 points and six boards.
Both teams shot 42.6 percent from the floor while the Gusties out-rebounded the Loggers 47-37. Gustavus had 15 offensive rebounds resulting in 20 second chance points.
Gustavus wraps up its trip to Washington with another game in Tacoma on Friday against Pacific Lutheran University. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. CST.