SAINT PETER, Minn. – Gustavus women's basketball returned home for the first time since their Elite Eight appearance last season and defeated UW-River Falls 55-52. Nine players scored for the Gusties to lead a well-balanced attack to extend their win streak at home to eight, dating back to last season and have now won 31 of their last 32 at home.
Gustavus started their home slate with a strong first frame, putting up 14 points from five different scorers. The scoring started with junior
Whitley Ronn (Lakeville, Minn.), who ended with four, accompanied by
Ella Peters (Jr., River Falls, Wis.), playing against her hometown team to pace the Gusties. To end the first quarter, junior
Peyton Stevermer (Mankato, Minn.) evaded three defenders and put up a shot to stretch the lead to 14-10 as time expired. The first quarter was the first chance to see the new-look Gustavus women's basketball team at home, who showcased 10 players in the first quarter alone, more than any first quarter in recent history, after the graduation of the six players who played the most minutes for the Gusties in their first Elite Eight appearance in program history last season.
The second quarter followed much of the same for the Gusties, with
Whitley Ronn continuing to set herself apart, sitting at 11 points at halftime and shooting 62.5 percent from the field. Gustavus bettered their first quarter shooting percentage, raising it to 50 percent, shooting 6-for-12 compared to the first quarter's 7-for-15 to average their highest first-half shooting percentage of the season to date. The home team also made their first two three pointers on Gus Young Court this season from Ronn and Stevermer. A four-point run from Ronn and
Anna Goodman (So., Lakeville, Minn.) brought the Gusties their largest lead of the half at 24-16. The Falcons countered with two threes of their own by Zoey Buchan, who led the Falcons in the first half with 13.
It took 7:17 of game time in the third quarter to get the first basket, when
Bella DeHaan (So., Lakeville, Minn.) hit a mid-range jumper to open the scoring. From there, the Falcons responded with a three to close the gap to three, but
Lauren Queensland (Fy., Grand Meadow, Minn.) brought the lead right back to six. A free throw and layup for the Falcons were the last two scores of the quarter, which brought the Gusties into the fourth quarter with a three point lead.
The fourth quarter started much hotter than the third, with a Goodman three just 35 seconds into the frame to open it up. The Falcons brought the lead within three, but the Gusties brought the lead up to nine courtesy of a run of points for Peters and DeHaan. During the run, DeHaan hit two stepback jumpers and Peters traded threes with Buchan to bring the life back to the Gustie bench. With 2:45 left, Buchan hit her fifth three-pointer of the game, but Ronn once again countered with a three of a layup of her own to bring the score to 50-42 with 2:32 left. The Falcons made a late charge with a layup and three-pointer to shorten the lead to four, but great defense from Peters and
Kendyl Queensland forced a turnover with 10 seconds left, where Ronn saw the game out with an insurance free throw to put the game out of reach.
The Gusties shot 42.3 percent from the field in their return home and shot 35.7 percent from three. On the glass, the Gusties held a 12-rebound lead, more than their average of an 8.5 rebound margin so far this season. The last time UW-River Falls led the game was when it was 4-2 in the first quarter, whereas the largest margin Gustavus had was at nine when it was 48-39. Overall, the Gusties dominated the paint, coupling their rebound margin with 28 points in the paint.
Individually, Ronn scored 14 points to lead the Gusties and added three blocks. Goodman, standing 5-foot-3, was a vulture on the glass, bringing in nine rebounds and also led the team in assists with four and steals with three. Peters shot 50 percent from the field in 31 minutes of time on the floor.
The Gusties return to action next Tuesday when they make the short drive down to Mankato to face Bethany Lutheran, with the game scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. tipoff.
