SAINT PETER, Minn. — For the second time this season, the Gusties were one shot away from keeping pace with league-leading Saint John's. This time, at home, the Gusties fell 66-64 to Saint John's, who recently earned the MIAC regular season title earlier in the week. The loss drops the Gusties to 12-10 overall and 11-6 in the conference.
The Gusties held at least a two-point lead for the first five minutes of the game, until a Johnnie 3-pointer gave them the advantage, 13-10. Saint John's went on a 14-6 run in the next four minutes, shooting 5-for-5 and forcing a pair of Gustie turnovers. The Johnnies continued to keep the Gusties at arm's length, but a
Brady Kienitz 3-pointer cut the SJU lead to six points heading into halftime.
The Johnnies, who lead the nation in shooting percentage, proved why they're one of the best in the country, shooting a blistering 73.7 percent from the floor in the first half on 14-for-19 shooting, making four of six attempted from long range, and missing just one free throw of nine awarded. The Gusties, on the other hand, struggled on their home court in the first, going 10-for-27 from the floor for a 37 shooting percentage.
The Gusties outscored the Johnnies after halftime, 30-26, but it wasn't enough to overcome the early Johnnie lead. In the final two minutes of play, the Gusties forced two Johnnie turnovers and picked up a trio of rebounds to get a few key defensive stops at the game's end. A traveling call on the Johnnies Blake Berg gave the Gusties the ball back with just six seconds left on the clock. With the game on the line,
Adam Biewen sent a jump shot from behind the arc to get the team's first win over SJU in seven years, but the shot bounced off the rim and out, ending the game with a final score of 66-64.
Gustavus finished shooting an even 40 percent from the floor (22-of-55), but struggled from long, making only three of 17 attempts from 3-point range.
Spencer Swanson led the Gustie offense with 23 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Wyatt Olson posted 14 points, eight of them coming from the charity stripe, while
Brady Kienitz rounded out the top-three scorers with 10 points.
The Gusties have Augsburg up next, hosting the Auggies on Monday at 7 p.m.
