SAINT PETER, Minn. – The No. 6 Gustavus women's basketball team opened the postseason Thursday, Feb. 27 against Hamline, rolling to a convincing 71-35 victory over the Pipers to advance to the MIAC Playoff Championship for the fourth consecutive season.
The Gusties (25-1,17-1 MIAC) shot 48 percent (24-for-50) from the field and 41.2 percent from three-point range, holding the Pipers to single digits in each of the final three quarters. Hamline struggled to make shots against the MIAC's best defense, going just 13-for-52 (25.0 percent) from the field on Thursday night.
Hamline (19-8,13-5 MIAC) entered the game as the top three-point shooting team in the conference, but it was the Gusties who let them fly in the first two quarters, going 4-for-7 in the opening 20 minutes, including a 3-for-4 mark in the second quarter led by the efforts of
Emily Bowron (So., Rochester, Minn.), who hit both of hers from beyond the arc off the bench.
The Pipers battled the nationally-ranked Gusties to a deficit of just one point three times in the first quarter, forcing eight early turnovers, but struggled to slow down the high-octane offense, led by the consistent play of both
Emma Kniefel (5th, Medford, Minn.) and
Izzy Quick (5th, Brooklyn Park, Minn.). Gustavus never trailed in the game, and took its first double-digit lead midway through the second quarter on a three-point jumper from Bowron for a 23-13 advantage. Kniefel hit a floater to head into halftime with a 17-point lead, 36-19, leading the Gusties to a 7-for-12 (58.3 percent) mark in the second quarter.
Despite shooting just 3-for-14 (21.4 percent) from the floor in the third quarter, the Gusties held Hamline to limited offense as well, forcing six turnovers and hauling in six offensive rebounds to maintain control of the ball and the lead, 45-26.
The fourth quarter featured nine players off Head Coach
Laurie Kelly's bench, with Quick completing her second double-double of the season and Bowron eclipsing double digits for the first time this year. The Gusties got three-pointers from three different players, as Kniefel, Bowron, and
Olivia Grothaus (Fy., Hudson, Wis.) hit three from distance for 26 points to Hamline's nine in the final quarter. Gustavus forced eight Piper turnovers and allowed just two shots made from the floor in the final 10 minutes, finishing the game doubled-up on the Pipers, 71-35.
The Gusties' 48 percent from the field tied for the team's fifth-best mark this season, while the three-point mark of 41.2 percent is tied for the fourth-best. The Gusties out-rebounded Hamline 35-27, grabbing 10 offensive boards for 13 second chance points, and scored 19 off 23 Hamline turnovers. Hamline's 25.0 field goal percentage is the second-lowest of any opponent Gustavus has faced this season.
Reigning MIAC Offensive Player of the Week Kniefel led all players with 16 points on 5-for-7 (71.4 percent) shooting and an identical 5-for-7 mark from the free-throw line. Quick's double-double was composed of 14 points and 10 rebounds, her 14 off 6-for-7 (85.7 percent) shooting and a pair of free throws. Seven of her rebounds came on the defensive end of the court. Bowron finished 4-for-6 (66.7 percent) and 3-for-4 from three-point land for 12 points. All three of the Gusties' seniors –
Morgan Kelly (Saint Peter, Minn.),
Kylie Baranick (Maple Grove, Minn.), and
Rachel Kawiecki (Richfield, Minn.) dished out three assists, while four different players grabbed a pair of steals.
Hamline's Lauren Cooper led the visitors with 11 points. No Piper grabbed more than five rebounds, and 12 different players turned the ball over at least once.
The Gustavus women's basketball team will return to its fourth consecutive MIAC Championship at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 1. The Gusties, who earned the No. 2 seed after claiming a share of the MIAC Regular Season Championship but lost the tiebreaker coin flip, will travel to No. 24 Bethel (22-4, 17-1 MIAC), which shared the regular season title with Gustavus, at Robertson Center Gym Saturday afternoon. Bethel advanced to its first championship since 2020 via a 79-50 victory over Saint Benedict Thursday night.
