SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women's basketball team wrapped up its regular season with a 74-51 victory over St. Catherine on Saturday, Feb. 22 at Gus Young Court.
Celebrating Senior Day and all six of the Gusties' top players, Gustavus (24-1, 17-1 MIAC) collected its fifth MIAC Regular Season Championship and third consecutive, finishing atop the conference standings with a 17-1 record. With identical marks of 17-1, the No. 6 Gusties share the title with No. 25 Bethel (21-4, 17-1 MIAC), as both teams have locked up the top two seeds in the conference playoff tournament. The Royals won the coin flip for the tiebreaker seeding.
The first quarter saw the Gusties in an unconventional position, playing from behind to a hot-shooting Wildcat team.
Rachel Kawiecki (Sr., Richfield, Minn.) scored the game's first points on a layup in the paint, but SCU went for a 12-4 run, shooting 4-for-5 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc for the Wildcats' Greta Schimnowski. An early
Laurie Kelly timeout put some spark back in the Gustie offense, particularly for
Emma Kniefel (5th, Medford, Minn.), who helped Gustavus end the frame with a 13-4 series of their own for a 19-16 lead at the first break.
The Gusties began to take their traditional form in the second quarter, extending their lead to double digits thanks to the efforts of
Izzy Quick (5th, Brooklyn Park, Minn.), who scored eight and grabbed five rebounds in a 21-7 Gustavus run. SCU went just 4-for-13 in the second frame as three-point production slowed down, making just one from distance that span.
Morgan Kelly (Sr., Saint Peter, Minn.) hit a jumper to take the teams into halftime with a 40-26 lead for the home team.
Both teams shot well after the break, as the Gusties went 7-for-12 (58.3 percent) and St. Catherine 6-for-10, but the home team struggled with turnovers, conceding four to the Wildcats (13-11, 8-9 MIAC), who narrowly out-scored Gustavus 18-17 in the third quarter.
The Gusties held St. Catherine without a point for the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter, while Kniefel added six more for her fourth 20-point game in her last five played. The Gusties bettered the Wildcats 17-7 in the final frame, with six different players contributing to the scoring for a 74-51 final.
Gustavus finished 28-for-62 from the floor (45.2 percent), while SCU went 19-for-47 (40.4 percent). The Gusties struggled from three-point land, making just four from distance of 22 attempted (18.2 percent). The Gusties out-rebounded St. Catherine 32-22, including a mark of 13-4 in offensive boards, which resulted in 16 second chance points.
Kniefel finished 10-for-14 with 23 points to lead all scorers, while Quick (12) and Kelly (11) each scored in double digits as well. Quick's eight rebounds were a team- and game-leading mark, while
Kylie Baranick (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.) dished out 10 assists. She and Quick led the defense with three steals each.
The Gusties will host a MIAC Playoff Semifinal on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. at Gus Young Court, with the team's opponent to be determined following Tuesday's quarterfinals between Saint Benedict (17-9, 11-7 MIAC), Concordia (16-9, 11-7 MIAC), Saint Mary's (13-11, 11-7 MIAC), and Hamline (18-7, 13-5 MIAC).
