ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – No. 8 women's basketball dealt No. 25 Bethel its first conference loss of the season, a 73-61 defeat in Arden Hills on Saturday, Feb. 8.
After dropping a 72-58 decision to the Royals at home on Jan. 18, the Gusties enacted their revenge, shooting 54.2 percent (26-for-48) from the field, their second highest mark of the season, to even the score and move into a tie for first at the top of the conference standings. The victory also snapped a 10-game winning streak for Bethel, which shot 36.2 percent (17-for-47) from the floor, well below the team's average.
After
Izzy Quick (5th, Brooklyn Park, Minn.) won the tip,
Morgan Kelly (Sr., Saint Peter, Minn.) took a quick attempt from three that fell short, but returned with a steal on the other end of the court and a dish to
Emma Kniefel (5th, Medford, Minn.) for the Gusties' first points of the game. Kniefel's bucket sparked a 9-0 run for the visitors, which featured an 0-for-4 performance from the Royals. After BU got on the board, the Gusties went just 1-for-4, but still held the edge to close the quarter out 16-6 thanks to four points out of the hands of
Rachel Kawiecki (Sr., Richfield, Minn.).
Bethel began to climb its way back into the game in the second quarter, starting with a 7-4 run on 3-for-5 shooting, but the Gusties held their ground, shooting 57.1 percent (8-for-14) in the second frame and out-rebounding the Royals 12-3. After seven points in the first quarter, Kniefel added five more to give her team a 36-23 advantage at halftime.
The Royals matched the Gusties' 23 third quarter points with 22 of their own, nine of which came from the free throw line, but struggled to tame the hot-shooting Gusties, who went 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) after halftime. Kawiecki added a perfect 4-for-4 showing eight points in the frame and a 59-45 lead heading into the final quarter.
Bethel out-scored the Gusties 16-14 in the fourth, but it was far too little and far too late to hold onto their undefeated conference record, as Kniefel totaled eight more points in the fourth on 4-for-5 shooting to close out the victory, 73-61.
The win is the 20th of the season for the Gusties, marking the fourth year in a row that Head Coach
Laurie Kelly has eclipsed the 20 win mark and the seventh time in the last 10 seasons (excluding the shortened 2020-21 pandemic year).
The Gusties dominated the paint, with 36 points to Bethel's 16, and got 16 points off turnovers and 17 from the bench. The Royals narrowly won the battle of the boards, 28-27, but 20 of the Gusties' rebounds came on the defensive end.
Kniefel led the balanced Gustie offense, which featured five players in double digits, with 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting. She was 2-for-4 from three-point land and 3-for-4 from the line, and added a team-high five assists with just one turnover. Kawiecki was next with 14, finishing 5-for-7 from the field with a trio of steals and four rebounds. Kelly added 12, while
Syd Hauger (5th, Springfield, Minn.) and
Kylie Baranick (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.) each collected 10. Quick led all players with seven rebounds, including four on the offensive end of the court.
The Gusties return to MIAC action Wednesday at St. Olaf (7-14, 1-13 MIAC) at 5:30 p.m. in Northfield.
