ST. PAUL, Minn. – No. 8 Gustavus women's basketball bounced back after its first loss of the season, posting a 67-51 victory over Hamline on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at Hutton Arena.
The Gusties (15-1, 8-1 MIAC) led by seven after the first two quarters and shot 42.9 percent in the second half to defeat the Pipers (11-5, 6-3 MIAC) and get back in the win column. Gustavus finished shooting 41.8 percent (23-for-55) from the floor, while the Pipers went 18-for-44 (40.9 percent) in the two teams' only regular season game of the year.
Morgan Kelly (Sr., Saint Peter, Minn.) led things off with a trey on the Gusties' opening possession to eliminate the two-point Hamline lead after tip-off. Hamline battled the Gusties to a pair of tie scores in the first quarter, and took the lead at 12-11 and again at 14-13.
Emma Kniefel (5th, Medford, Minn.) picked up her own offensive board and hit a driving layup-and-one to swing the lead back in favor of the visitors, but a Piper shot from beyond the arc put Hamline up 17-16 after the first.
Kelly picked up right where she left off in the second frame, collecting an offensive rebound and five points to get the ball rolling for the No. 8 Gusties, but the home team continued to respond, tying things once more at 21-21. An
Izzy Quick (5th, Brooklyn Park, Minn.) layup-and-one sparked a 14-4 run for the Gusties to take their first double digit lead at 35-25. The Pipers hit a three-pointer with 19 seconds remaining in the quarter to cut the lead back down to single digits, 37-30, at halftime.
Both teams struggled to make shots immediately following the break, combining to go just 2-for-7 in the opening four minutes, which featured a quick 6-2 run for the Pipers. The Gusties, who have experienced third quarter struggles all season, turned the ball over five times, but a quick
Laurie Kelly timeout followed by a
Rachel Kawiecki (Sr., Richfield, Minn.) layup put the visitors back on track. Gustavus finished the frame with an 8-3 run, holding the Pipers just 1-for-6 from the floor for a 47-39 lead.
The Pipers cut the lead to four early in the fourth quarter, but Kawiecki collected four of her own, followed by three-pointers out of the hands of both Kniefel and
Kylie Baranick (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.) to put the game away for good. Kniefel and Baranick added four more to the total before the end of the night, while the Gustie defense held Hamline to just three made shots in the game's final frame to earn the MIAC victory, 67-51.
The Gusties shot 40 percent or better in all but the first quarter, while the defense forced 22 Hamline turnovers for 16 points. Gustavus out-rebounded the Pipers 31-28, including a mark of 13-8 in offensive boards, which resulted in 13 second chance points. Kawiecki (16 points) helped the Gustie bench to an 18-6 advantage over the Piper non-starters.
Kniefel, in her 100th career start, led the Gusties with 16 points alongside Kawiecki, who shot 6-for-9 and 4-for-4 from the line. Baranick joined Kelly with 10 points, hitting two of the team's four made three-pointers on Wednesday night. Kniefel also led the rebounding efforts, with four offensive and five defensive for a game-high nine. Quick's five assists led all players, while Kelly chipped in a team-high two steals.
Hamline's duo of Camille Cummings and Yasmeen Abed each posted 19 points for the Pipers. Three other players combined for the home team's other 13 points.
The Gusties will make the trip north to Moorhead to face Concordia (11-5, 6-3 MIAC) for a 1 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, Jan. 25. The Cobbers have won three of the last four in their own gym, while the Gusties own the last two match-ups, including a 57-42 victory at Gus Young Court on Dec. 24 this season.
