The Gustavus men's basketball team picked up its first win of the season in impressive fashion by knocking off Carthage College 74-61 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Gustavus led by as many as 10 points in the first half, but did not score the final three minutes of the half and trailed Carthage 36-30 at the intermission.
The Gusties came out fired up in the second half and outscored the Redmen 15-2 to take a 45-38 lead. Carthage scored only two points in the first six minutes of the second half. The Redmen would get no closer than six points in the final 10 minutes of the contest.
Balanced scoring was a key for Gustavus as five players reached double digits.
Tim Brown led the way with 19 points, followed by
Eric Nelson and
Doug Espenson with 12 each and
Chris TeBrake and
Phil Sowden with 10 each. Brown was red-hot from the field as he made seven-of-12 field goal attempts including three-of-six from three-point range. Gustavus shot 61 percent from the field in the second half (17-28).
The Gustavus win at Carthage was historic as it broke a 29-game home winning streak by the Redmen against non-conference opponents that dated back to 1998.
The Gusties improve to 1-2 overall while Carthage falls to 2-1. Gustavus will open its MIAC schedule at home on Wednesday, Dec. 3 against Augsburg.
