PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — The Gustavus men's basketball team's epic playoff run came to an end Friday night, falling to nationally-ranked No. 20 Loras 89-64 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Gusties couldn't tame a hot-shooting Loras team, and end the season with a record of 18-11.
The Duhawks proved why they're one of the best shooting teams in the country early in the game, jumping out to an 11-4 lead over the Gusties, including eight points out of the hands of Myles Barry. Slowly but surely,
Wyatt Olson and
Evan Wieker chipped away at the Loras lead, cutting it to just two points twice in the opening ten minutes. Loras, unfazed, stormed back on 10-for-12 shooting to end the half with a 22-point lead over the Gusties, 47-25.
Head Coach
Justin DeGrood's team took the court with a different energy in in the second half, opening with an 8-2 run, including two from deep from
Brady Kienitz. The Gusties cut the lead to 16, but it wasn't nearly enough for a second half comeback, as Loras built their advantage to as many as 29 before ending the game, 89-64.
"You have to work really hard to be here at the end of the season," said DeGrood following the game. "It was exciting to be here, but was a disappointing result tonight. We're certainly not content just being here and being part of the game, but our guys have a pretty good understanding of what we want to accomplish every year, and being here today only adds to that. We're humbled and grateful, and proud of the way our guys played in the second half to end this season."
Gustavus struggled from the floor in the final game of the season, shooting well below their average at 33.9 percent. The Gusties, who have been one of the nation's leaders from three this season, made only seven from beyond the arc, going 1-for-15 in the first half. Loras shot a blistering 64.3 in the game, including a mark of 44.4 percent from long range.
Olson led the Gusties with an 18-point 10 rebound double-double, followed by 15 points from Kienitz and 11 from
Spencer Swanson, who was held scoreless in the first half for the first time all season.
The Gusties finished their historical season with an overall record of 18-11 and conference mark of 14-6. The team won the first MIAC Playoff title since 2005, played in the highest scoring MIAC postseason game in conference history, and competed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.
