ST. PAUL, Minn. — History was made in St. Paul Wednesday night. The Gustavus women’s basketball team rolled to their 14th-straight victory with a 64-41 win over Hamline. And while 14-straight wins is impressive, it was surprisingly not the most impressive thing about Wednesday’s win.
With the victory, the 2022-23 Gusties become just the third team in program history to win the MIAC Regular Season Championship, and the first in program history to win it outright. The Gusties’ last title came in 2009-10, and was shared with Saint Benedict, while the 2002-03 regular season ended in a three-way tie at the top between Gustavus, Carleton, and Saint Benedict. The win guarantees the Gusties home court advantage and the No. 1 seed heading into MIAC Playoffs next week.
Even though the Pipers scored first in the game, netting an early 3-pointer to start the scoring, it was the only lead they saw for the entirety of the game. The Gusties amassed 27 points before the Pipers could even eclipse double digits, dominating play at both ends of the court to start the game.
Anna Sanders (Sr., Vadnais Heights) combined for 12 first half points to lead scoring for both teams, giving the Gusties a 20-point edge at halftime.
Slow shooting to start the second half gave the Pipers a glimmer of hope, as they matched the Gusties third quarter points at 11, but it wasn’t enough to claw back the lead, as Syd Hauger (Jr., Springfield) pulled the Gusties away once again in the fourth, sinking four straight free throws to start the quarter and give the Gusties a 24 point lead. The Gustie defense remained impenetrable, holding off the Pipers for just nine points in the final frame, sealing the history-making win at 64-41.
Sanders led all scorers with 14 points, followed closely by Kylie Baranick (So., Maple Grove) with 12. Hauger posted nine points off the bench, including a 7-for-8 mark from the free throw line. Grace Benz (Sr., Steele, N.D.) led the game with 14 rebounds and four steals. The Gusties finished the game scoring 23 points off turnovers.
The Gusties have one more regular season competition left before playoffs, heading down to Winona to take on Saint Mary’s Saturday at 3 p.m.