ST. PAUL, Minn. - In their best shooting night in 675 days, the Gustavus women's basketball team dominated Northwestern-St. Paul, defeating the Eagles, 85-41. The lead was 48 at its highest and the Gusties scored 29 points off turnovers, 32 points in the paint, and 24 points off the bench.
The first quarter of the game started with six straight points by
Ella Peters (Jr., River Falls, Wis.) to set the tone for the rest of the contest for Gustavus. Multiple other Gusties contributed to runs of 5-0, 6-0, and 6-0 at different parts of the quarter to help the Gusties score 25 points in the first frame. The first quarter contained a 72.7 percent (8-for-11) shooting clip for the visiting team, making their first trip to Northwestern since December 20, 2014.
The second quarter contained much of the same dominance for Gustavus. After an early layup for the Eagles, the Gusties did not allow Northwestern to score until the 4:42 mark of the second quarter, going on a 13-0 run to push the lead to 28. After a small 5-2 run for Northwestern, another 12-0 run by the Gusties cemented the margin at 37 by halftime, 52-15. The Gusties only attempted four threes in the quarter, making two, and shot 8-for-13 from inside the arc.
The third quarter was a bit slower for each team, finishing 17-11 in comparison to 25-8 and 27-7 first and second quarters, respectively. After an early three by Northwestern, the Gusties continued their pace, going on a 17-3 run to push the lead to 48 at its largest. The third quarter followed the exact same shooting clip as the first quarter, with the Gusties shooting 72.7 percent (8-for-11) from the field yet again. The end of the third quarter was the change of pace that Northwestern had been hoping for, scoring five straight to end the quarter over the last 3:01.
The Eagles were not done yet, scoring nine more points in a row to start the fourth quarter, going on a 14-0 run to cut the lead to 34. After slowing down the Eagles, getting the lead down to 33 at one point, the Gusties finished the game with another run themselves, this time 11-0. Multiple players who have seen limited time this far made an impact on the scoresheet late in the contest, including the first two points of first-year
Zoe Verhasselt's (Hutchinson, Minn.) career.
12 different Gusties made baskets tonight, led by 21 from Peters and 18 from
Kaitlyn Schaefer (Jr., Eagan, Minn.).
Olivia Grothaus (So., Hudson, Wis.) and
Whitley Ronn (Jr., Lakeville, Minn.) led on the glass for Gustavus, each bringing down six rebounds. Ronn had a well-balanced night overall, having eight points, six rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
The Gusties shot 58.2 percent (32-for-55) from the floor, which is their highest clip of the year and the highest for the team since February 10, 2024, when the team shot 69.1 percent (38-for-55) against Saint Benedict. Outside of their home gym, the Gusties shot their best clip since January 14, 2017, when Gustavus traveled to Carleton College and shot 58.5 percent (38-for-65). As a team on the glass, the visiting team dominated as well, holding a 37-15 margin.
