CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - After a sluggish start, the Gustavus men's basketball team bounced back and held off a late rally Monday evening to defeat Coe College 78-75. The Gusties improve to 9-2 overall and extend their winning streak to six games. 

Coe started with all the momentum, jumping out to a 10-point lead in the first four minutes of the game. The Gusties trailed by as much as 10 points on three different occasions, the last being 23-13 at the 11:40 mark, before going on a 13-2 run.

After a pair of Myles Barnette free throws to start the spree, Isaac Matti hit a three, followed by a layup by Spencer Swanson. Swanson then hit a turnaround jumper, got a steal on a the ensuring possession, and converted on the other end with a layup to cut the difference to one. An Adam Biewen layup at the 8:29 mark of the first gave the Gusties their first lead of the game at 26-25. 

The Kohawks responded by ending the first on a 15-8 run for a 40-34 half time lead. Bennett Sherry took over for the home squad in the opening half, scoring 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the floor. 

A pair of threes by Brady Kienitz and Swanson cut the deficit to two points early in the second half, followed by buckets by Dawson Kellen and Barnette, and a pair of free throws by Jake Schmitt to tie the game 49-49 at the 13:29 mark. The Gusties took their first lead of the second on an and-one play by Wyatt Olson, going up 52-51. Coe regained the lead with a three-pointer on the next possession, but Biewen and Kienitz hit consecutive shots from downtown to go ahead 58-54 with 10:50 on the clock. Olson then scored on a put-back layup, forcing a Coe timeout at the 9:47 mark as the Gusties led 60-54. 

After the timeout, Swanson made one from the charity stripe and Kientiz hit a three for the Gusties' largest lead at 64-54, before the Kowhawks stopped the bleeding with a three on the other end. Coe kept the game within reach, but Kienitz sunk a pair of clutch three-pointers to go up 74-65 with 2:47 left in the game. 

Coe made things interesting in the final minute, cutting the Gustie lead down to two points after an and-one opportunity, making the score 74-72 with 35 seconds left. Forced to foul on the other end, Kienitz continued to make clutch shots, this time at the free throw line, going 4-for-4 from the charity stripe in the final 26 seconds. 

Trailing by three with under 10 seconds left in the game, the Kowhawks forced a turnover on an inbound pass but couldn't make the game-tying three pointer as time expired. 

"Wins are hard to earn and this one fit that mold," said Head Coach Justin DeGrood. "After a couple weeks off and away from competition it was great to get back in the swing of things, especially a very good road opponent. 

"The first half was not anything we were working towards. However, I credit our guys as they rose to our halftime challenge and played with real grit and determination in the second half. Our teams ability to limit their talented scorer in half two plus earn extra possessions with O-boards was critical. 

"I'm really proud of how the guys responded with toughness and battled to find a way. It'll be fun to get back to work and look at where we need to clean up some execution pieces before hitting the road for our last non conference game."

The Gusties finished the game shooting 40.3 percent from the floor, led by Kienitz with a season-high 21 points. Kienitz shot 5-for-8 from long distance, passing Doug Espenson (2001-05) and Brock Guettler (1988-92) in the program's career three-pointers made leader board. Kienitz now has 132 career three-pointers and ranks eighth in program history. 

Olson and Schmitt added 13 points apiece, while Swanson chipped in 12. Olson recorded his third double-double of the season with a game-high 10 rebounds as well, as the Gusties out-rebounded the Kohawks 44-36. 

Gustavus plays its final non-conference game of the season Saturday afternoon at Dubuque. 
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