SAINT PETER, Minn. - The Gustavus men's basketball team earned its third consecutive victory Saturday with a 77-66 win over Simpson, improving to 3-1 overall.
Despite making just 1-of-15 three-pointers, the Gusties were able to control the glass, out-rebounding the Storm 42-21 and had 20 second-chance points.
Gustavus built a seven-point lead in the first 11 minutes of the opening half, going up 18-11 on a
Wyatt Olson dunk with 9:05 on the clock. The Storm answered with eight straight points to gain a 19-18 advantage at the 6:12 mark, but the Gusties went back in front and carried a 29-25 lead into the locker room at half.
Simpson came out strong the start the second half, taking a 39-35 lead in the first four minutes, but a 9-3 Gustie run over the next four minutes gave the home squad the advantage. The lead changed sides twice more until the 5:50 mark when
Isaac Matti hit a three to give the Gusties the lead for good. The Gusties then went on a 10-2 run in the final three minutes of the game, led by the offensive efforts of
Myles Barnette and
Carson Koch.
The Gusties shot 42.9 percent from the field and were 28-for-36 from the free throw line. Barnette led the team off the bench with 17 points on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting from the field. Koch added 15 points off the bench and was a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe. Olson led the team on the glass with nine rebounds, while
Dawson Kellen added seven.
"It was one of those nights where our timing and execution wasn't where it needed to be," said Head Coach
Justin DeGrood. "I believe that especially showed in our offensive output and why our percentages were as low as they were. Shots, even when wide open, weren't taken with the same flow as we are accustomed to.
"I was really proud of our second unit as I thought they did a nice job of playing connected and with a real sense of urgency and purpose.
"We talked to our guys about how good teams keep finding ways to compete. Some nights it'll be clicking and others it won't. I was so proud of how our entire group supported and loved the successes of the collective group. Nothing is more important than the team and that played itself out beautifully tonight."
Gustavus next plays at UW-Platteville on Dec. 1. The Pioneers are ranked No. 2 in Division III according the the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll.
