SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women's basketball team will take on Bethel at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 26th, in the semifinal round of the MIAC Women's Basketball Playoffs. The Gusties start their postseason activity coming into the Playoff as the No. 2 seed, while Bethel is the No. 3 seed. The game on Thursday will be the first of two MIAC Basketball Playoff Semifinals in Saint Peter, as the men will play after the women on Gus Young Court. 

The Gusties (18-7, 14-4 MIAC) will take on the Royals (20-6, 14-4 MIAC), making up for their sole MIAC meeting during the regular season, where the Gusties upset the No. 19 ranked team in the country, 78-68 in Saint Peter. Gustavus ended their regular season on a six-game winning streak, lifting them up to second place in the MIAC standings, tied on conference record with Bethel. The first tiebreaker to break ties in the MIAC is head-to-head, where the Gusties claim the higher seed. 

TICKET INFORMATION

All tickets will be sold and purchased online via HomeTown Ticketing. There will not be cash sales at any venue; however, spectators can purchase tickets using a mobile device, including while at the venue. General admission is $12, students with ID are $3, children under five are free, MIAC passes are accepted, and all tickets are subject to the Hometown Ticketing service charge.

PAY-PER-VIEW INFORMATION

The 2026 MIAC Women's Basketball Playoffs will be streamed live on the MIAC Sports Network in a pay-per-view format. Individual playoff contests will be streamed for $10 each, or $25 for a "championship pass" to stream the entire tournament live. On-demand access to playoff games will be available after the NCAA Tournament concludes.

PLAYOFF APPAREL

Official playoff apparel will be available for online purchase via the MIAC Shop powered by UNRestricted MKTG. The online MIAC Shop features officially licensed short-sleeve t-shirts, long-sleeves, and hooded sweatshirts to commemorate the 2026 playoff tournament. Team champion apparel will be added and available for purchase shortly after the championship game.

SEASON SERIES

As mentioned, the teams have only played once this season, in Saint Peter on January 3rd. During the matchup, Gustavus pulled ahead with an 18-0 run that stretched through the first and quarter to push the score to 25-7 and took a 35-21 lead into halftime. Certain flurries from the Royals brought the lead down to eight in the third quarter, but each time, the Gusties pushed back and kept Bethel at bay, giving them their first MIAC loss of the season. The game was highlighted by the junior tandem of Kaitlyn Schaefer (Eagan, Minn.) and Ella Peters (River Falls, Wis.) who scored 23 and 22 points, respectively. Schaefer shot 5-for-7 from beyond the arc and 7-for-9 from the field. Peters shot 9-for-18 and also brought down seven rebounds, the most on the team that game. Sophomore Anna Goodman (Lakeville, Minn.) stole the ball away three times and added six assists, both team highs. For the Royals, Rosalie Penke came off the bench and scored 19 on 7-for-8 shooting and Emily Erickson scored 12. 

Gustavus dominated on the glass, holding a 31-14 rebounding advantage and also forced 17 turnovers in the contest. 10 of the 31 rebounds for the Gusties came offensively, contributing to five second-chance points. Going up tempo was a friend for Gustavus, who led in fast break points 13-9. 

In the NCAA's NPI Index as of February 25th, Bethel sits in 22nd place and Gustavus is in 29th. The NCAA National Tournament field consists of 64 teams, 43 automatic qualifiers from conferences around the country and 21 more selected as at-large bids to advance.

SCOUTING THE GUSTIES

Gustavus starts their postseason run with a record of 18-7 and 14-4 in the MIAC. The team is on a six-game win streak coming into their semifinal matchup, including wins over two MIAC Playoff teams in the final week of the regular season to lock up a quarterfinal round bye and earn hosting rights for a semifinal contest. In the NCAA's NPI Selection Rankings, the Gusties sit in 29th, the third ranked team in the MIAC behind Concordia (11th) and Bethel (23rd). 

Offensively, Gustavus averaged 64.3 points per game, including 40.9 percent clip from the field. The team averages 11.5 three point attempts per game and 6.1 makes, while sitting at a 71.2 percent mark from the charity stripe, an improvement in the last few weeks compared to the mark earlier in the season. The Gusties have been glass cleaners all season, bringing down 35.9 rebounds per game and owning a 7.5 rebound margin over opponents, which stands third in the MIAC and 43rd in the country. 

Individually, Peters has been the engine for the team offensively, averaging 15.4 points per game, 7.9 rebounds, and shooting 43.3 percent (153-for-353) from the floor. Goodman has been her partner in crime for the majority of the season, garnering 123 assists as the team's main point guard, which ranks first in the conference. Goodman has taken very good care of the ball all season, holding the 14th highest assist/turnover ratio in the country at a 2.16 mark. 

Defensively, the Gusties have been sound, averaging 55.5 points against per game, standing second in the conference only behind Hamline. The team has forced 471 turnovers, 18.8 per game, and have shown they can turn defense into offense, scoring 17.7 points off turnovers per game. 

Goodman once again stands out defensively, stealing the ball away 66 times in the regular season which is six steals away from first place in the MIAC. Ronn has also been a standout, especially last week when she earned MIAC Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week. Last week, she stole the ball away eight times, including five against St. Scholastica, two of which were on the Saints' final two possessions of the game. Ronn has 23 blocks, ranking first on the team and sixth in the MIAC and has stolen the ball away 51 times herself, which is good for second on the team and sixth in the MIAC. 

SCOUTING THE ROYALS

Bethel starts their postseason with a record of 20-6 and 14-4 in the MIAC. The Royals topped the No. 1 seeded Concordia twice this season, but stumbled once against all four of the other teams who started in the MIAC playoffs. The Royals come to Saint Peter after winning in their quarterfinal round against St. Scholastica, 87-57. 

Emily Erickson led the offense for Bethel with 25 points, going 9-of-13 from the field and adding nine rebounds. Elly Schmitz, who did not play in the first matchup between the teams, added 13, and Cally Peterson added eight 14 with eight rebounds. Colette Duininck also helped power the Royal offense, dishing out eight assists and adding nine points. 

Offensively this season, Bethel has averaged 69.7 points per game, including a 42.7 percent shooting clip from the field. The field goal percentage ranks them 35th in the country and third in the MIAC. The Royals have utilized the charity stripe abundantly this season, getting to the line just over 20 times per game and have the fifth best free throw percentage in all of Division III. Duininck ranks 15th in the country in assists, tied with Gustavus' Goodman at 123, but the Gusties have played one less game, putting Duininck's season average just below the Gustie point guard. Erickson leads the conference in field goal percentage at 54.3 percent, which is 16th in the country and is 28th in points, putting up 467 this season. 

Defensively, the Royals have limited teams from beyond the arc more than anyone else in the country, holding teams to a 25.9 percent clip, but have struggled on the glass. As mirrored in the two matchups between the teams, Bethel ranks fifth in the conference in rebounds per game at 35.69, while Gustavus sits just above that at 35.9. Erickson and Alli Born lead the team in blocks with 22 a piece while Born has been the best rebounder with 173 this season. Duininck and Born both lead in turnovers forced, with Duininck grabbing 69 steals and Born at 46. In 30 minutes of action last night, Born was limited but well versed, scoring five points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks. 

The winner of Thursday's matchup will face the winner of No. 1 seed Concordia and No. 4 seed Saint Mary's, with the host to be decided by the high seed remaining. The losing team tomorrow will have to wait for the selection show on Monday, March 2nd at 1:30 p.m. central time to see their fate.