ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Gustavus women’s basketball team put up 76 points against St. Catherine Saturday afternoon, rolling past the Wildcats for their third straight MIAC victory. With the win, Head Coach Laurie Kelly tallies her 400th career coaching victory. The Gusties improve to 11-2 overall and 8-2 in conference play.
For the first 10 minutes in St. Paul, it seemed the Gusties and Wildcats would be engaged in a fierce shootout for the entirety of the game.
However, the Gusties had other ideas.
Gustavus outscored St. Catherine 57-21 in the final three quarters, stifling the Wildcats to single-digit points in the last three frames.
The Gusties took the lead early in the first quarter, with help from five points from Syd Hauger (Jr., Springfield). The St. Catherine offense managed 10 points to the Gusties 19 to hang on through the first, but the Gusties dominated defensively in the second, limiting the Wildcats to shooting just 2-for-10 from the field. 11 points from Anna Sanders (Sr., Vadnais Heights) helped the Gusties take a 20 point lead heading into the locker room.
Gustavus continued to dominate through the second half, posting point totals of 18 and 20 in the third and fourth quarter. Hauger added 10 points in the second half and Lexi Schermann (Jr., Mayer) put up nine, giving the Gusties a 45-point lead at the end of the fourth.
Hauger led a balanced Gustie offense, posting 17 points for a season-best and tying her career-high. Every Gustie added at least one point in the game, with Kylie Baranick (So., Maple Grove) and Sanders finishing with double-digit points — 13 and 11, respectively. Rachel Kawiecki (So., Richfield) posted a team-high eight rebounds, followed closely by Grace Benz (Sr., Steele, N.D), who added seven of her own.
The Gusties are back in action for a quick turnaround on Monday, facing Hamline at home.