STORM LAKE, Iowa – The No. 5 nationally ranked Gustavus Adolphus College men's basketball team put together a dominant offensive performance Friday evening, defeating Howard Payne University 118-76 at Siebens Fieldhouse in Storm Lake, Iowa. The Gusties scored 54 points in the first half and added 64 in the second, shooting 52.5% from the field and 52.0% from three-point range to secure the 42-point victory. With the win, Gustavus improves to 2-1 overall on the season.
Howard Payne opened the scoring with a pair of free throws, but Gustavus quickly responded with back-to-back layups from
Myles Barnette and
Landon Dimler to take a 4-2 lead.
Obinna Izuora followed with a three-pointer to put the Gusties ahead 7-4, and Gustavus continued to build its advantage. Barnette converted consecutive and-1 opportunities to extend the lead to 17-6 with 13:00 remaining in the first half. The Gusties maintained their momentum as
Ethan Sonju connected on a pair of three-pointers, helping Gustavus take a 29-16 lead midway through the half.
Gustavus continued to pull away as the first half progressed, extending its advantage to 16 points at 38-22 following a Sonju layup with 5:23 remaining.
Max Buslee knocked down a three-pointer to push the lead to 18 points at 42-24, and
Jake Schmitt completed a four-point play after being fouled on a three-point make to extend the advantage to 22 points at 49-27 with 1:41 to go. Sonju capped off the half with another three-pointer with 19 seconds remaining, giving the Gusties a 54-31 lead before Howard Payne scored the final basket of the period. Gustavus entered halftime ahead 54-33, shooting 48.7% from the field and 46.2% from beyond the arc.
The Gusties picked up right where they left off in the second half, opening with a 15-9 scoring advantage over the first 3:14 to extend their lead to 69-42. Schmitt connected on consecutive three-pointers, while Barnette added another and-1 to push the advantage to 27 points. Later, Dimler hit a three-pointer and Barnette threw down a dunk to give Gustavus a 74-44 lead with 15:49 remaining. The Gusties continued to dominate offensively, extending their advantage to 35 points at 88-53 following a three-point play from
John Mueller with 11:31 to go.
Gustavus maintained its commanding lead throughout the remainder of the contest as Sonju connected on his fifth three-pointer of the game to make it 91-58 with 10:39 remaining. Dimler added a layup, and the Gusties surpassed the century mark on a pair of Barnette free throws with 7:43 to go, taking a 101-62 lead. The Gustavus reserves continued to contribute down the stretch, with
Emmett Olson scoring three points and
Tate Olson and
Na'Sean Hardy connecting from beyond the arc. The Gusties outscored Howard Payne 64-43 in the second half to secure the 118-76 victory.
Barnette led Gustavus with a game-high 24 points on 47.1% (8-for-17) shooting from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 performance from the free-throw line while adding four assists and three steals. Sonju followed with a career-high 19 points, shooting 70.0% (7-for-10) from the field and 83.3% (5-for-6) from beyond the arc. Dimler contributed 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Schmitt added 12 points on 66.7% (4-for-6) shooting, including three three-pointers.
As a team, Gustavus shot 52.5% (42-for-80) from the field and 52.0% (13-for-25) from three-point range while outrebounding Howard Payne 51-42. The Gusties also held a 58-34 advantage in points in the paint, a 56-35 advantage in bench scoring, and forced 21 turnovers while committing just 13.
Up next for the Gusties is a non-conference road game at the University of Minnesota Morris Cougars on Friday, November 20 at 7:00 p.m.
