FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - In a battle of unbeaten, top-10 NCAA Division III women's basketball teams, No. 8 Gustavus suffered its first loss of the season 71-61 to No. 4 Rhode Island on Wednesday at the Cruzin' Classic. The Gusties drop to 7-1 overall, while the Anchorwomen, who reached the NCAA Final Four last season, improve to 11-0.
"This was a great game for us regardless of the outcome," Head Coach
Laurie Kelly said. "Obviously we would have liked to come out on top but to play a team of that caliber, who reached the final four last year, is something we haven't experienced yet and will make us better in the second half of our season."
The first quarter proved to be a defensive battle with just 22 combined points. RIC got out to a 4-0 lead before
Izzy Quick and
Emma Kniefel made consecutive layups to tie the game. The Gusties continued with a 12-2 run, sparked by the play of Quick and Kniefel, before ending the quarter with a 12-10 advantage.
Gustavus built its lead to as much as five points on a jumper by
Morgan Kelly at the 8:44 mark of the second before the Anchorwomen responded with six consecutive points to regain their first lead since the opening minutes. RIC went up by eight points with 50 seconds left in the half, but Kelly sunk a buzzer-beater three to end the half trailing 31-26.
Kniefel had the hot hand for the Gusties in the third quarter, making three consecutive shots from beyond the arc, resulting in a 41-37 deficit at the 5:21 mark.
Rachel Kawiecki made a layup with 2:31 left in the quarter to keep it a two-possession game, but the Anchorwomen closed out the frame with a 51-44 lead.
RIC claimed its largest lead of the game, 58-45, with 7:35 left in the game, but the Gusties did not go without a fight. A steal by Kniefel led to a fast break layup for Kawiecki, followed by another RIC turnover that resulted in a three by
Syd Hauger to make the score 60-55 with 3:01 on the clock. The Anchorwomen scored on the ensuing possession and regained a double-digit lead in the final 35 seconds to seal the victory.
"Credit to Rhode Island and their experienced play makers for making shots down the stretch," Kelly said. "I'm proud of the way our team battled. We just had a few too many turnovers and not enough offensive rebounds. This game showed us a lot of things we need to get better at and what our aspirations are for later in the season."
Kniefel led the offense with 17 points, including four three-pointers. Quick added 13 points and six rebounds, while Kawiecki and Kelly contributed 10 points each.
Rhode Island scored 25 points off 20 Gustie turnovers and won the rebound battle 38-26.
Gustavus concludes play at the Cruzin' Classic at 11 a.m. (central) Thursday against Simpson.
