MOORHEAD, Minn. - Shooting their fourth highest clip this season from the floor on Wednesday night, the Gusties held a lead as large as 15, but the comeback effort by Concordia-Moorhead proved too strong, resulting in a 70-66 road loss.
Making the long trip to Moorhead, the Gusties (8-5, 4-2 MIAC) were looking to continue a successful streak over MIAC rivals Concordia-Moorhead (11-2, 5-1). In their last seven matchups, the Gusties had been 6-1, including two MIAC Championship game victories, with the one loss being on February 7th, 2024 in Moorhead once again.
Coming off of a slower first half than normal on Saturday at St. Catherine, scoring was no issue for the Gusties, who scored 19 points compared to the Cobbers' 13. Junior
Ella Peters (River Falls, Wis.) continued from her 20-point performance on Saturday with seven points in the quarter to lead the Gusties in addition to three rebounds, all defensive. A three-pointer by junior
Kaitlyn Schaefer (Eagan, Minn.) gave Gustavus their first lead of the night at 8-7. A Peters basket, a three by
Peyton Stevermer (Jr., Mankato, Minn.), and two Schaefer free throws gave the Gusties a 15-8 lead at the 6:30 mark of the quarter for their largest lead of the quarter at seven. Concordia-Moorhead pulled within two, but a layup by sophomore
Bella Sutch (Blaine, Minn.) and a layup by junior Whitely Ronn (Lakeville, Minn.) off of a turnover brought the score to 19-13, which would hold until the end of the first quarter, including an emphatic block to end the quarter by Sutch.
The second quarter got off to a hot start for the Gusties, who went on a 9-2 run over the first four minutes of the quarter, forcing a timeout for Concordia-Moorhead, with the lead up to 28-15. The timeout was well executed by the Cobbers, who went on a 7-2 run themselves to cut into the Gusties' lead. With the score 30-22 with 4:01 still left in the quarter, both teams slowed, with Gustavus adding six and Concordia-Moorhead adding four to wrap the half up at 36-26, Gustavus. Peters led in the first half with 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting, followed by Schaefer and Stevermer with seven apiece offensively. Peters grabbed five rebounds in the first half, with multiple Gusties behind with two or one rebound for a combined team effort to lead on the glass, 21-17.
To start the second half, the teams traded buckets, with the Gusties able to build their lead to 14, never more. With the score up to 46-32, thanks to Sutch, the Cobbers went on an 8-2 run to bring the lead down to eight, but Peters responded with a three-pointer to extend the lead back to 11 with just over four to play. The Cobbers ended with another 6-2 run to send the game into the fourth quarter with the Gusties up seven, 53-46. Sutch came alive on the glass in the third quarter, bringing down three rebounds and Ronn added two assists to pace the Gusties. Peters went 3-for-5 in the quarter, bringing her total up to 17 through three quarters, pushing Gustavus offensively.
The fourth quarter proved why these two teams find themselves in important positions against each other frequently. With the Gusties leading by seven going into the final quarter, the Cobbers slowly cut into the lead, getting the Gusties down to a three-point lead with 8:58 left. A three-pointer got the lead up to nine with 6:01 left, but the Cobbers continued to cut into the lead. With 2:38 left, Concordia used a three-pointer to tie the game at 63. Ronn responded on the next trip down the court with a three of her own, but the Cobbers once again had an answer to tie the game. For the next 1:18, the game remained tied and with 5.8 seconds left on the clock, Concordia made a jumper in the paint, which proved to be the game-winning shot.
Peters led the Gusties offensively with 22 points (9-of-16 shooting) and eight rebounds and sophomore
Anna Goodman (Lakeville, Minn.) continued to dish the ball out, adding eight more assists to bring her season total to 68.
As a team, the Gusties shot 44.1 percent (26-for-59) from the floor and were 7-for-19 (36.8 percent) from beyond the arc, both above season averages. The Cobbers used the free throw line to their advantage, making 22-of-28 free throws compared to the Gusties' 7-for-9 from the charity stripe.
The Gusties return home after two games on the road, hosting Macalester at 1:00 p.m. on Gus Young Court.
