EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The Gustavus women's basketball team wrapped up the UW-Eau Claire Market & Johnson Blugold Tip-Off Tournament with a Sunday night match-up against the host Blugolds (0-2 overall), collecting a dominating 73-49 victory. The Gusties (2-0 overall) went 11-for-21 (52.4 percent) from long range, just four three-pointers shy of the single game program record.
The tournament hosts led for the majority of the first quarter, going up 6-2 after sinking all three of their first buckets, while the Gusties struggled to find their stride, going 1-for-3 in the first four minutes of the game. A
Kylie Baranick (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.) steal led to an
Olivia Grothaus (Fy., Hudson, Wis.) layup, helping the Gusties tie the score at six apiece midway through the first 10. Despite eight turnovers, the Blugolds continued to maintain the lead, but a three-pointer from
Emma Kniefel (5th, Medford, Minn.) tied things up at the end of the first, 13-13.
The No. 11 nationally-ranked Gusties began to show their true colors in the second quarter, as
Izzy Quick (5th, Brooklyn Park, Minn.) and
Morgan Kelly (Sr., Saint Peter, Minn.) helped the team to a 6-2 run in under a minute with a trio of points each. And, after scoring her 1,000th point in the game before, Kniefel found another hot streak, going 5-for-6 overall with four treys to build the lead to as many as 14, as the Gusties headed to the locker room up 40-29.
Gustavus piled it on after the break, taking a 20-point lead over UWEC on 62.5 percent shooting, limiting the Blugolds to a meager 23.1 percent through the third quarter. Kniefel added five more in a 17-7 run, while Quick totaled six to put the game out of reach heading into the final frame. Head Coach
Laurie Kelly used the fourth quarter to work through her bench, getting minutes for nine players, including collegiate debuts for
Anna Goodman (Fy., Lakeville, Minn.),
Bella DeHaan (Fy., Lakeville, Minn.), and
Bella Sutch (Fy., Spring Lake Park, Minn.). Threes continued to rain for the Gusties, as
Kaitlyn Schaefer (So., Eagan, Minn.) and
Bobbie Bruns (Jr., Blooming Prairie, Minn.) each drained one to further extend the lead for a final of 73-49.
After a slow start to the day, Gustavus turned up the heat to finish shooting 47.2 percent from the field (25-for-53) and 52.4 percent from three (11-for-21). The Gusties were out-rebounded for the first time since Dec. 12, 2023, a 71-61 loss against then-No. 4 Rhode Island College, as the Blugolds dominated the glass, 42-27.
Kniefel continued her career weekend, finishing with 24 points, tying her career-best performance in the Gusties' 2022 NCAA tournament game against Simpson. The Medford native shot 9-for-13 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from three, also a career high mark, and the most since Mikayla Miller '18 totaled six against Carleton on Jan. 31, 2018. She also led the Gusties' efforts on the glass with five total rebounds. Quick added a 10-point performance, while Baranick led the team with a trio of steals and assists.
The No. 11 Gusties head back to Wisconsin on Thursday, facing UW-Stout (2-0 overall), ranked No. 13 in D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25 poll.
