SAINT PETER, Minn. — After their first MIAC loss of the season last Saturday, the Gustavus men's basketball team bounced back Wednesday — and in impressive fashion — defeating Saint Mary's 88-68 at Gus Young Court. Efficient shooting led the team to victory, making 35-of-61 from the floor and 11-of-27 from three.
Saint Mary's won the tip and took an early lead over Gustavus for the first ten minutes of the game, but a 19-2 run in the final six minutes of the first half propelled the Gusties past the Cardinals.
Brady Kienitz sparked the Gustie turnaround, making one from deep to begin the dominant scoring run, before totaling seven more points in that span to end the first half with 16. Kienitz was 4-for-6 from three in the first half to lead the game's scoring after the opening 20.
With all the momentum in their favor, the Gusties put their foot on the pedal in the second, equaling their first half total of 44 and building their lead to as many as 25. In the final seconds of play,
Landon Lantz wrapped up the game with the team's 11th three pointer of the night, tying the season high set three times earlier this year.
The Gusties, who have the best field goal percentage in all of NCAA Division III for the second consecutive week, shot 57.4 percent (35-for-61) from the floor. The team forced 11 Cardinal turnovers and nearly doubled SMU's rebounds, 43-23.
After a quiet first half,
Spencer Swanson gave the Cardinals all they could handle, totaling 21 points in the second to lead the team with a total of 23. Kienitz was next with 16 on the night, a career-high. His four made three pointers also tied his personal best. For the second time in as many games,
Wyatt Olson picked up a 10-point 12-rebound double-double to lead the Gustie rebounding efforts. Olson, Swanson, and
Evan Wieker all picked up a pair of steals on the night, contributing to a total of eight on the game.
The Gusties hit the road for their next three, heading to Hamline first on Saturday to face the Pipers at 3 p.m. in St. Paul.
