SAINT PETER, Minn. — After defeating Hamline 81-66 on Saturday, the Gustavus men's basketball team (15-10 overall, 14-6 MIAC) locked up the third seed in the MIAC Playoffs, earning quarterfinal hosting rights in the first round. The Gusties will face Bethel (13-12 overall, 10-10 MIAC) for a 7 p.m. tip-off at Gus Young Court. 

GUSTIES IN THE MIAC PLAYOFFS

The MIAC Men's Basketball Playoffs began in 1985 and since then Gustavus has made 27 appearances with a record of 32-17, including nine championships. This year's playoff appearance marked a return to the field for the Gusties, who missed last year's cut, finishing eighth in the MIAC standings. In their last playoff game, Gustavus fell 76-73 to the fifth-seeded Oles in the 2022 playoffs. This is the first time in program history the Gusties will play as the third seed in the tournament. The Gusties' last championship came in 2005, while their last NCAA appearance was in 2012 through an at-large bid to the tournament. 

THE SERIES

Tuesday's game marks the 103rd all-time meeting between Gustavus and Bethel on the floor with the Gusties holding a 64-38 advantage in the series. Bethel snapped a five-game losing streak to Gustavus dating back to the 2020-21 season this year, dealing the Gusties their first MIAC loss of the year, 80-71 in overtime, and an 80-68 decision just two weeks ago.

LAST TIME THEY MET — GUSTIES vs. ROYALS

The Gustavus men's basketball team fell at the hands of Bethel on Feb. 3, 80-68 on the road. The win gave the Royals the MIAC sweep, as they dealt the Gusties their first conference loss earlier in the season. 

Bethel went on an early run in the first half, outscoring the Gusties 13-6 in the opening eight minutes, taking advantage of six Gustie turnovers and shooting 50% from the floor. The Gusties battled back, scoring 18 points in just six minutes to take a five point lead over the Royals, 24-19. The two teams exchanged points on possessions before the Royals pulled away once more, shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the field to end the half with a 38-31 lead over the Gusties. 

Gustavus struggled to catch up in the second half, as cold shooting plagued the team's comeback effort. A layup from Spencer Swanson cut the lead to just four points early in the half, but the Royals stormed back, shooting a blistering 76 percent to bring their lead to 64-50 with eight minutes left in the game. Bethel held the Gusties at arm's length the rest of the way, completing the win and the sweep, 80-68.

The Royals' Peyton Thomsen was certainly the game-changer on both sides of the court, putting up 39 points, a pair of steals, and a block to deal the Gusties the defeat. Bethel shot 52.9 percent from the field, while the Gusties shot 38.9 percent (28-for-72), their second lowest mark of the season.

Four Gusties scored in double digits, led by Wyatt Olson with 16 points and 11 rebounds to complete the double-double. Evan Wieker added 15 points and nine rebounds, while Brady Kienitz and Spencer Swanson each posted 10 points on the day.

LAST ACTION

The Gustavus men's basketball defeated Hamline for the first time since the 2021-22 season Saturday, winning 81-66 on Saturday. Brady Kienitz was the story of the night for the Gusties, making 8-of-12 3-pointers, two shy of the single game record. Kienitz started the Gusties off with the lead, helping the team jump out to an 11-6 advantage in the first five minutes of the game with two from deep to set the tone. Gustavus took advantage of a slow-shooting Hamline team, building the lead to as many as 18 in the first half, heading into the locker room up 42-24. 

The Pipers couldn't overcome the Gustie lead after the break, despite outscoring the Gusties in the second frame. Hamline shot 55.6 from the floor in the second half, but Kienitz just wouldn't miss, getting five more from downtown to help the Gusties extend the lead to 21. Hamline's Austin Holt did all he could for his team, which now has the No. 4 seed in the MIAC Playoffs, scoring 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting to close out the game, but it wasn't enough to slow down the Gusties. 

Kienitz led the way for the Gusties with 25 points on 8-for-14 shooting in 29 minutes. The 25 points were a career high for the junior guard, who has scored in double digits in all seven of his last games. Spencer Swanson nearly added another double-double to his name Saturday, scoring 20 points with nine rebounds. Wyatt Olson rounded out the top Gustie scorers with 18 points and eight rebounds. 

SCOUTING THE GUSTIES

The Gusties finished tied for second in the conference this year with a record of 14-6. Through 25 games this season, the Gusties average 77.1 points per game and allow 71.1 against. The Gusties are shooting an impressive 49.1 percent from the field, while holding opponents to a mark of 46.9 percent. The team has been a 3-point machine in the conference, averaging eight made per game with a percent of 39.6 from the arc. Spencer Swanson leads the team in virtually every statistical category, averaging 19.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.4 blocks, and 36.8 minutes per game. Adam Biewen has led the Gustie defense this season, also averaging 0.4 blocks per game as well as a team-leading 1.4 steals. Brady Kienitz has been the Gusties' hot shooter as of late, averaging 21.3 points in three games last week.

BATTLE ROYAL

This is the 10th playoff matchup between the two programs, with the Gusties owning a 6-3 advantage in the playoff series against Bethel. The last time the two teams met in the postseason was in 2018, with the Royals, as the No. 3 seed, dealing the Gusties a 93-67 loss in the quarterfinals. The winner of Tuesday's game will play either Carleton (No. 2 seed) or Saint John's (No. 1 seed). A Gustie win would send them to Northfield Thursday to face the Knights, while a win for the Royals would send them to top-seeded Saint John's.

HOME SWEET HOME

The Gusties have played three of their last four games on Gus Young Court, the lone exception being last Wednesday's 72-63 win at Saint Mary's. The Gusties closed out the regular season with a record of 8-3 on home floor, while sitting 7-7 in 14 games away from Saint Peter. The last time the Gusties hosted a home playoff game, they fell to St. Olaf in 2022. This will be the 29th home playoff game hosted by the Gustie men's basketball team. 

A DeGROOD DOZEN

Justin DeGrood, in his second season as head coach, has led the team to its best season in a dozen years. The second place finish in the conference is the best since 2012, when the Gusties went 20-8 overall and 16-4 in the MIAC to earn a share of the conference title with St. Thomas. The 2012 Gusties fell in the MIAC Playoff Championship to the Tommies, 66-62, but earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to Wheaton 68-60 in the first round.

CALLIN' THE SHOTS

The Gusties have cemented themselves as one of Division III's best shooting teams this season. On multiple occasions, the Gusties have led the nation in field goal percentage, and have ranked in the top-10 of 3-point shooting teams all season. Currently, Gustavus sits 12th in field goal percentage of 412 ranked Division III schools with a mark of 49.1 percent. The Gusties are 39.6 percent from downtown, which ranks sixth in the nation. The Gusties are also 26th in NCAA and first in the conference with a rebound margin of 7.2.  

BRADY FOR THREE

Brady Kienitz averaged 21.3 points per game in three wins for the Gusties last week, beating his own career-best points twice in three games. Kienitz shot an impressive 23-for-35 (65.7 percent) including a mark of 15-24 (62.5 percent) from three. Kienitz scored 23 against Augsburg on Monday on 9-for-11 shooting, picking up four rebounds, two assists, a block, and two steals in the victory. The junior added 16 at Saint Mary's on Wednesday, before leading Gustavus to a crucial win over Hamline Saturday. Kienitz shot 8-for-14 against the Pipers, and 8-for-12 from downtown. His eight made threes were two shy of breaking the program single game record. Kienitz ranks fifth in the country with a 3-point percentage of 47.0, and is second in the conference behind Saint John's Kooper Vaughn, who leads the nation with a mark of 50.3 percent from beyond the arc.

D-SPENCE

Spencer Swanson dominated both sides of the court in three wins for the Gusties last week, averaging 16.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. The junior picked up 26 of his rebounds on the defensive end, and added two blocks and four steals to his total through the two games. Swanson collected his ninth double-double of the season against Saint Mary's, hauling in 13 points and 12 rebounds, including a game-high 11 defensive rebounds. For his performance, Swanson was named MIAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week. 

SCOUTING THE ROYALS

Bethel completed its regular season on Saturday, winning 83-69 over St. Olaf to punch a ticket to the MIAC playoffs for the team's 27th appearance in the conference postseason. Bethel has gone 13-12 overall and 10-10 in the league. The Royals come to Gus Young Court for their third consecutive road game, and are 5-6 when playing away from Arden Hills this season. Through 25 games this season, Bethel averages an even 74.0 points per game, while allowing 73.0 against. The Royals are shooting 47.5 from the field and 36.2 percent from three this season, statistics that rank third and sixth in the conference, respectively. Payton Thomsen leads the Royals with 18.3 points per game, followed by Zach Doely who has 16.8 per contest. Doely also leads the team in rebounds/game (9.5), and blocks per game (1.2).

TAMING THOMSEN

Sophomore Payton Thomsen has been a problem for the Gusties all season, averaging 24.5 points in two games against Gustavus. Just last week, Thomsen  averaged 28.0 points and eight boards for the Royals. He tallied 28 points in a five-point loss at Saint John's on Wednesday where he shot 9-of-14 while sinking a career-high six threes. At St. Olaf on Saturday, Thomsen picked up his first career double-double with 28 points and 13 rebounds to lead BU to an 83-69 victory and the final spot in the MIAC Men's Basketball Playoffs. For his performance, Thomsen was named the MIAC Men's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week. 

A DOSE OF DOELY

Zach Doely has been a dual threat on offense and defense for the Royals this year, averaging 16.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game this season. Doely is averaging nearly a double-double against the Gusties this year, with 17.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games. Doely's rebounding ranks second in the MIAC, while his 65.6 field goal percentage is the best in the league by over 10 percent.