ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The No. 6-ranked Gustavus women's basketball team collected its fourth consecutive MIAC Playoff Championship Saturday afternoon, defeating No. 24 Bethel 66-53 on the road to earn the MIAC's automatic bid to the national tournament.
The Gusties (26-1, 17-1 MIAC) took the lead over Bethel 7-6 at 5:45 in the first quarter and never trailed for the rest of the game, enforcing a dominant defense on the Royals (22-5, 17-1 MIAC), hauling in 28 rebounds to BU's 17 and forcing 21 Royal turnovers on their home court.
Emma Kniefel's (5th, Medford, Minn.) free throws to give Gustavus the lead in the first quarter sparked an 11-4 run for the visitors, who used a balanced offense with points from five different players to end the first quarter up 17-10. Both teams entered the game shooting well above 30 percent from three-point range, ranked second and third in the conference, but didn't make a single shot from distance in the first frame.
Gustavus took its first double digit lead of the game in the second quarter, 27-17, once more on free throws for Kniefel, who drew four fouls in the game. Bethel responded with a 7-0 run to cut it back down to just four points, but seven points out of the hands of Kniefel and five from
Rachel Kawiecki (Sr., Richfield, Minn.) put the Gusties up 35-21 heading into halftime.
Shots started to fall for Bethel after the break, as the home team hit 3-of-4 attempted from three-point land, going 5-for-9 from the field to narrowly out-score Gustavus 18-17. The difference was made in turnovers, as the Gusties forced seven on the Royals, four of which resulted in a steal, to hold a 52-39 lead just 10 minutes away from the title.
The Gusties were in the bonus for the entirety of the third and fourth quarters, scoring 15 of their 31 second half points on free throws.
Syd Hauger (5th, Springfield, Minn.) turned up the heat in the second half, scoring 10 on 3-for-4 shooting and collecting a trio of steals to help the Gusties fend off a late Bethel run. The Royals cut the deficit to single digits once more off back-to-back three-pointers, but the Gustie defense, as it has all season, held strong for the 66-53 victory.
The game was made from the free throw line and off turnovers, as the Gusties scored 23 from the charity stripe to Bethel's 12, and added 25 points off 21 turnovers. Bethel went just 12-for-20 from the line, and scored only seven points off 13 Gustavus turnovers. The Gusties shot 48.8 percent (21-for-43) from the floor, posting a mark of 50 percent or better in three of four quarters. Bethel was 17-for-37 (45.9 percent) from the field, and 50 percent from three-point to finish 7-for-14 after a slow start from long range. The Gusties controlled the glass, out-rebounding the Royals 28-17, including a mark of 10-5 on the offensive end of the court.
Three different Gusties scored in the double digits, led by Kniefel's 19 on 6-for-11 shooting and a perfect 6-for-6 mark from the free throw line. Both Hauger and Kawiecki posted 10, with Kawiecki completing her first double-double of the season with 10 boards, four offensive and six defensive.
Kylie Baranick (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.) added nine to the total, seven of which came from the free throw line, as well as six rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block. Hauger grabbed four of the Gusties' nine steals, while
Morgan Kelly (Sr., Saint Peter, Minn.) blocked a game-high three shots. Bethel, which led the conference and was fourth in NCAA DIII in blocks (5.73 bpg), managed just one against the Gustie offense.
Gustavus now awaits the NCAA Division III selection show on Monday, March 3 at 1:30 PM CST. The 64-team bracket will feature 43 automatic qualifiers and 21 at-large bids. The Gusties dropped to No. 7 in the NCAA National Power Index (NPI) for Division III women's basketball through games of Feb. 28, but held at the top of Region IX. Three other teams from the region were also featured in the top-20: UW-Oshkosh (No. 8), Bethel (No. 15), and UW-Whitewater (No. 20).
