SAINT PETER, Minn. – The No. 11 nationally ranked Gustavus Adolphus College men's basketball team battled the Concordia College Cobbers at home Saturday afternoon a conference contest. The Gusties defeated the Cobbers 70-60 for their 17
th consecutive win, moving them to 19-1 overall while staying undefeated in the MIAC at 11-0.
After
Jake Schmitt scored the opening basket of the game, the Cobbers hit a three to take their first lead of the game. Concordia held a narrow lead of no more than four points through the first ten minutes of the game until
Andrew Quam hit a three to put Gustavus up 15-13. The Gusties led by nine points up 32-23 with three and a half minutes to go until halftime, but then the Cobbers scored nine unanswered points to tie the game going into halftime at 32-32.
Concordia made it a 12-0 run with a three-point bucket to open the second half scoring, taking a 35-32 lead.
Myles Barnette responded for Gustavus with a pair of baskets to regain a narrow 36-35 lead. The Cobbers led 49-48 after hitting a go-ahead three with 13 minutes to go in the game, but Schmitt answered with a three of his own to regain the lead for the Gusties; a lead that Gustavus would never give up. Schmitt's go-ahead three sparked an 8-0 run that put the Gusties up 56-49 with 10 minutes to go in the game. Gustavus never led by less than four points the rest of the way while building their lead up to as many as 10 points on another Schmitt three-point basket with just 2:22 remaining to go up 66-56 en route to their 70-60 win.
Schmitt led the Gusties with 22 points, going 5-for-11 from beyond the arc while adding seven assists and three steals. Quam followed with 16 points, shooting 4-for-7 from long range. Barnette recorded a 14/7/6 stat line while leading the team with four steals.
Up next for Gustavus is a trip up to Collegeville to take on the Saint John's University Johnnies on Wednesday, February 4 at 7:00 p.m.
