SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women's basketball team, ranked No. 9 in this week's WBCA poll and No. 10 in the D3hoops.com poll, opened MIAC play with a 65-42 victory over Augsburg in game one of a five-game homestand. The Gusties (6-0, 1-0 MIAC), who enjoyed over a week off for the holiday, got points from 12 different players in the victory, and held Augsburg (1-4, 0-1 MIAC) to less than 20 points in every quarter.
After the visitors took a quick lead in the first quarter, Gustavus found its stride, scoring 19 in the second frame on 7-for-12 shooting. The third quarter made all the difference, as the Gusties held Augsburg to just three points on 10 percent shooting from the field (1-for-10), while scoring 25 of their own to take a commanding lead and put the game out of reach. Gustavus finished 43.1 percent from the field (25-for-58), while the Auggies shot 35.3 percent (18-for-51). Wednesday's third quarter performance was the fourth time in the last two seasons the Gusties have held an opponent to three points or less in a quarter, with the last being a 75-33 victory over Macalester on Feb. 5, 2023. Gustavus held opponents to two points in a quarter twice last season.
Izzy Quick (5th, Brooklyn Park, Minn.) won the jump ball, and
Rachel Kawiecki (Sr., Richfield, Minn.) sunk an easy layup for a quick Gustie start, but the Auggies gave their very best in the opening four minutes, outscoring Gustavus 10-3 after Kawiecki's basket. Augsburg hit two of its total four three-pointers and went 4-for-8 from the field, while the Gusties struggled to find a rhythm, making just one of six shot attempts in that span. The defense shifted the tides following a layup from Quick, holding Augsburg to 1-for-8 shooting for the rest of the quarter, while five different Gusties were able to get on the score sheet, led by
Olivia Grothaus (Fy., Hudson, Wis.) who hit a three and hauled in a pair of defensive rebounds to give the Gusties a 16-12 lead heading into the second frame.
Syd Hauger (5th, Richfield, Minn.) was sure to set the second quarter tone early, taking a feed from Quick to hit a three-pointer in the first 15 seconds after the shortened break. The Gusties went 3-for-4 from long range in the second quarter to maintain and extend their lead to as many as 13, 35-22. The Auggies shot 43.8 percent from the field in the second quarter and turned the ball over only once, but nine points off the Gustie bench was too much for the visitors to handle, giving Gustavus a 35-26 advantage heading into halftime.
The Gusties gave Augsburg no room to breathe in the third quarter. Strong defensive play featuring six steals, including three from Kawiecki and two from
Emma Kniefel (5th, Medford, Minn.) led to 15 points off turnovers, while Hauger took control of the game with nine points on 4-for-6 shooting. Augsburg scored its only points of the frame in 1:30 into play, and the Gusties responded, closing the quarter out with an 18 point run, featuring points from six different players, including first-year
Anna Goodman (Lakeville, Minn.), who collected her first collegiate point on a free throw Wednesday night.
With double the Auggies' points and the game out of reach, Head Coach
Laurie Kelly was able to work 15 different players onto the court in the fourth quarter. Augsburg bettered the Gusties 13-5 in the final 10 minutes, but
Bobbie Bruns (Jr., Blooming Prairie, Minn.) and
Bella Sutch (Fy., Spring Lake Park, Minn.) added the punctuation marks on the game, with Bruns hitting one from deep, while Sutch scored her first collegiate bucket alongside Goodman for the 65-42 final.
Hauger led all scorers with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting, going 2-for-5 from behind the arc. Kniefel was next with nine points, while
Kylie Baranick (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.) and Grothaus each collected eight. Grothaus' seven rebounds were the most of any player on the court, while Kawiecki finished with a pair of blocks and three steals, both team-leading statistics.
Gustavus won the battle of the boards, 32-24, collecting seven offensive rebounds for four second chance points. The Gusties scored 26 in the paint and 19 off turnovers, as well as a margin of 24-7 in points off the bench. Beyond their struggles from three, the Auggies also went just 25 percent from the free throw line, hitting only two of eight opportunities. The Gusties finished 7-for-10 from the charity stripe and posted eight three-pointers on 21 attempts (38.1 percent).
The Gusties continue conference play Saturday, hosting MIAC rivals Concordia for a 3 p.m. tip at Gus Young Court. The Cobbers (3-3, 0-1 MIAC) dropped out of the D3hoops.com national rankings this week, and have lost their last three games, including a MIAC-opening defeat at Bethel Wednesday night, 63-50.
