SAINT PETER, Minn. - In the 2025 finale for Gustavus women's basketball, the Gusties held a lead as large as 10 points against No. 10 UW-Whitewater, but a late surge from the Warhawks prevented an upset win for the Gusties to ring in the new year. Junior
Ella Peters (River Falls, Wis.) led the offensive charge for Gustavus with a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double, followed behind by
Peyton Stevermer (Jr., Mankato, Minn.), who added 12 points.
The Gusties and Warhawks traded baskets early, with four points from Peters to help build an early 6-3 lead, where
Anna Goodman (So., Lakeville, Minn.) hit a three to push the lead up to 9-5 just past halfway through the quarter. Stevermer hit another three to extend the lead to five, the largest of the first quarter for the home team. UW-Whitewater then went on a 5-0 run themselves to tie the game back up at 12, but a
Kaitlyn Schaefer (Jr., Eagan, Minn.) three pointer gave the Gusties a 17-14 lead. An unlucky foul with 0.3 seconds left in the quarter helped give the Warhawks one last point to close the gap down to two, finishing the quarter with a 17-15 lead for Gustavus. The Gusties shot 60 percent (3-for-5) from beyond the arc and forced four turnovers to help manufacture a first quarter lead.
The second quarter was a defensive masterclass for Gustavus, holding the Warhawks to just two points, scored 20 seconds into the frame. After UW-Whitewater's two points, the score remained tied at 17 for four minutes of game time, where the Gusties found the net and never looked back. Five points from Peters, a Schaefer pull up jumper, a
Bella Sutch (So., Blaine, Minn.) jumper, and a Stevermer free throw gave Gustavus their 10 points of the quarter, extending the lead to 27-17 at halftime. The 17 points allowed in the first half is the second least points allowed in the first half for the Gusties this season, only behind Northwestern-St. Paul, who scored 15 on December 16th.
The second half started similarly to the first, with the teams trading baskets, scoring four apiece, all courtesy of Sutch for the Gusties. From that point, the Gustie offense slowed, scoring just two points in the next 4:34 of game time, whereas UW-Whitewater responded with nine for themselves, closing the gap to three in favor of Gustavus. The Gusties did not go dark into the fourth quarter, though, responding with five points in the last 1:14, including a Schaefer three-pointer to improve the lead to eight with just 10 minutes to go.
The fourth quarter flipped the tide of the game in the favor of UW-Whitewater, who used a 16-3 run to take a five point lead with just 39 seconds left in the game, 46-41. Gustavus then flipped the momentum back in their favor briefly, when Stevermer hit a three to close the gap to two and Goodman stole the inbound pass to give the Gusties the ball back with 22 seconds left. Head Coach
Laurie Kelly called timeout and Schaefer got the ball, taking a three with 19.3 seconds left that hit the back rim. UW-Whitewater dragged three seconds off the clock, and then went to the line, but went 1-for-2 at the free throw line to give the Gusties another chance to tie the game. UW-Whitewater played great defense and didn't allow a quality chance for the Gusties to tie the game from beyond the arc, snatching the win away from Gustavus.
The offensive glass was dominated by the Gusties, holding a 14-3 advantage over the Warhawks and held the lead for 72.2% of the contest, but 10 free throws and three baskets from the field for UW-Whitewater compared to Gustavus' zero and two in the fourth quarter made the difference down the stretch. The matchup ended the non-conference slate for the Gusties, who finished 4-3 against opponents outside of the MIAC.
The Gusties are back in action on Saturday, January 3rd at 1 p.m. when they host No. 19 Bethel to resume MIAC play.
