ARDEN HILLS, Minn. - The Gustavus men's basketball team cruised to its 10th consecutive victory Saturday, completing the series sweep over Bethel with a 104-75 win. The Gusties improve to 19-3 overall and maintain first place in the MIAC at 13-0. 

After a back-and-forth start the to the game, Adam Biewen made a layup at the 9:40 mark to put the Gusties on top, and they never trailed for the remainder of the game. Biewen's lay-in sparked a 17-7 run for a 34-24 lead with 3:46 left in the half. Spencer Swanson hit his fourth three-pointer of the half with 24 seconds on the clock, but the Royals cut the halftime lead to five by making a trio of free throws on a last-second foul. The Gusties led 44-39 at the break. 

Bethel hit a three 1:30 into the second to tie the game at 44-44, but the Gusties responded with a 9-2 run thanks in part to a pair of threes from Carson Koch. Midway through the second half, Brady Kienitz found his groove from long range, making three treys in a two-minute span, extending the lead to 72-54 at the 11:47 mark. 

The Gusties continued to step on the gas in the final minutes of the game, building their lead to as much as 29 points twice. The visitors shot an efficient 61.2 percent from the floor and made 17-of-35 three-pointers, one game removed from shooting 2-for-19 from downtown. 

"Today's contest was a good battle for us," said Head Coach Justin DeGrood. "We were certainly challenged on the defensive end with the space and shooting they utilize. Our first half was not what we wanted and the men were really challenged at half to pick up the pace and intensity on the defensive end. The men responded and did a really nice job creating turnovers and making their actions difficult. I was extremely pleased with the offensive output in both halves. The ball didn't stick, spacing was good and the guys were taking shots with flow and confidence. We got better today and that's all our staff can ask of our guys."

Swanson paced the offense with 21 points, including five three-pointers, and hauled in a game-high eight rebounds. Myles Barnette contributed 18 points off the bench with a perfect 8-for-8 shooting display. Kienitz added 12 points, all from beyond the arc, passing Jesse Van Sickle (2006-10) for sixth place in program history for three-pointers made. Kienitz now has 153 in his career. Koch posted 11 points, while Wyatt Olson and Jake Schmitt each added 10. 

Gustavus next travels to St. Olaf on Wednesday night. The Gusties beat the Oles 82-49 on Dec. 11. 
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