DULUTH, Minn. — The Gustavus women’s basketball team kept its offense rolling, posting 75 points for the second game in a row, defeating St. Scholastica by a margin of 27 for the MIAC victory. With the win, the Gusties improve to 10-2 overall and 7-2 in the MIAC, good for second place overall, behind only Bethel who has one more MIAC game on the Gusties so far.
The Gusties were dominant on both sides of the court in the first quarter, shooting 10-for-13 (76.9%) from the field and limiting the Saints to shooting just 2-for-13 for a total of five points in the first frame. The Saints offense heated up in the second quarter, matching the Gusties’ 15 points with 15 of their own. The Saints cut the deficit within 20, but back to back layups from Riley Queensland (Jr., Grand Meadow) helped the Gusties get back on track, heading into the locker with a 39-20 lead.
The Gusties carried the momentum into the second half, as their red-hot offense netted 26 points in the third quarter. Anna Sanders (Sr., Vadnais Heights) totaled 10 of her team- and game-leading 14 points in the third, helping the Gusties to their biggest lead of the game at 34. While the Saints outscored Gustavus 12-10 in the final frame, it wasn’t enough to put down the Gusties, who rolled to 75-48 victory.
On top of her 14 points, Sanders finished with five rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Her four steals solidified her MIAC lead in the statistic, averaging 3.3 per game. The game was truly a full-team effort, as 11 Gusties finished with double-digit minutes, four Gusties shared the team lead in rebounds at five, and five added nine or more points. Behind Sanders, Kylie Baranick (So., Maple Grove) added 10 points, while Queensland, Grace Benz (Sr., Steele, N.D.), and Emma Kniefel (Jr., Medford) each put up nine. Benz, Sanders, Morgan Kelly (So., Saint Peter), and Rachel Kawiecki (So., Richfield) finished with the shared rebound lead.
Gustavus will return to action Saturday, heading to St. Catherine for a 3 p.m. MIAC contest.