NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Gustavus men's basketball opened conference play Tuesday night in Northfield, and did so in impressive fashion, rolling to a 97-59 victory over the Oles. The Gusties took the lead early in the first half and never looked back, as five players scored in double figures.
After both teams exchanged baskets to start the game, Gustavus took the lead at 7-5 on a jumper from
Evan Wieker 2:57 into the game. The Gusties never relinquished the lead from that point on, building it to as many as 14 in the first half. A three-pointer from
Brady Kienitz at the end of the frame gave the visitors a 49-30 edge heading to the locker rooms.
Gustavus grew its lead to 21 points to start the half to hold a comfortable advantage over the Oles. The Gusties gained their largest lead of the game at 97-57 on a layup from
Myles Barnette - his first collegiate bucket. Multiple players made their first collegiate appearance on the floor, as Barnette,
Isaac Dearborn, and
Jake Schmitt all saw minutes for the Gusties.
The Gusties shot 67.8 percent from the floor and went 5-for-7 from beyond the three-point arc. The defense held the Oles to a 43.4 shooting percentage and forced 10 turnovers. The visitors team also controlled the boards, out-rebounding the home team 33-20.
Five Gusties scored in double digits, led by
Spencer Swanson with 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting.
Wyatt Olson was next with 14 points, followed by
Carson Koch with 11. Kienitz and
Adam Biewen each added 10 for the Gusties, with Kinetz shooting a team-leading 80 percent from the field with two threes in the game.
Jonah Anderson led the team with six rebounds and three assists.
The road warrior Gusties, now 2-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play, finally return home to Gus Young Court for the first time this season, hosting Carleton on Nov. 29.
