NORTHFIELD, Minn. - No. 21 Gustavus men's basketball suffered a 73-61 loss at Carleton on Wednesday in the regular season finale, snapping a 12-game winning streak and a 21-game winning streak against conference opponents. The Gusties drop to 21-4 overall and 15-1 in the MIAC, but enter next week's conference tournament as the No. 1 seed and will host a semifinal game on Thursday. 

Coming off an emotional win Saturday against Saint John's, which clinched at least a share of the MIAC title, the championship fatigue was evident in the first half as the Gusties shot a pedestrian 37.5 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 10 times. The Gusties opened the game with an early lead after a trio of threes from Jake Schmitt in a 67-second span for a 14-11 advantage, but the Knights responded with 20-3 run and held the Gusties scoreless for over six minutes, resulting in a 31-17 lead at the 5:29 mark. The Knights gained their largest lead of the half at 41-26 and carried a 41-28 lead into the break. 

Head Coach Justin DeGrood's halftime speech lit a fire in the Gusties as they quickly cut the deficit down to five points, highlighted by four offensive rebounds to generate second-chance points. The Gusties scored the first eight points of the half before the Knights got back in a rhythm to regain a double-digit lead with a three-pointer at the 14:09 mark, leading 48-36. 

Carleton maintained a double-digit lead for a majority of the second half until Kienitz found a hot hand from long range, making three treys in less than two minutes, cutting the deficit to 68-61 with 1:33 on the clock. The shooting went blank the rest of the way, though, as the Knights secured the upset win. 

"It's certainly a really disappointing evening for us and not entirely because of the result but because of the way in which we executed," DeGrood said. "Many of the principals we hang our hat on just weren't there. Far too many miscues and lost opportunities, especially against such a good opponent. 

"Credit to our guys for having a terrific regular season and earning a little break as we head into playoff mode. This time will allow us to learn from this, get healthy and work towards being the best version of ourselves."

Kienitz led the way with 17 points, including 5-of-13 shooting from three-point range. Kienitz surpassed both Kirk Walberg (1998-02) and Andy Schultz (1987-91) for third place in program history, now with 162 career three-pointers made. Schmitt also shot well from long range, making 3-of-5, and finished with 13 points. Wyatt Olson hauled in a game-high nine rebounds. 

As the No. 1 seed for the MIAC playoffs, Gustavus receives a first round bye and will face the lowest remaining seed in the semifinals at 5 p.m., Feb. 27. The Gusties' potential opponent includes Carleton, Concordia, or Augsburg. 
  Read Full Article