SAINT PETER, Minn. - The Gustavus women's basketball team fell Thursday in the MIAC Playoff Semifinal round to Bethel, 73-66. Junior Peyton Stevermer (Mankato, Minn.) led with 20 points, but the Gusties turned the ball over a season-high 29 times in the loss.
The visiting Royals started the game with a 5-0 run, settling in first on Gus Young Court. Once the Gusties got going, they showed why they are deserving of a home MIAC Playoff Semifinal, going 5-for-7 on a 12-4 run to take the lead, 17-11. Stevermer scored five of the 12 points on the run and held Bethel to just one field goal, but the teams would eventually trade baskets and cement the score at 19-13 in favor of the home team after 10 minutes of play. Gustavus led from the field, going a strong 8-for-12 (66.7 percent) from the field in the quarter, including a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. The Gusties also outrebounded Bethel 7-5, with all seven coming defensively.
After the teams each scored early, Gustavus jumped out of the gate, going on an eight-point run to bring the lead to 12, 27-15. After this run, though, the Gusties were held to only one more point in the remaining 7:17 of the quarter, allowing the Royals to climb back into the game and shift the momentum. Bethel used the remaining portion to go on an 11-1 run, finishing the quarter on a 5-for-6 heater to bring the game within two by the time the teams headed for their respective locker rooms. There were 17 total turnovers in the quarter, a microcosm of the rest of the matchup, with Bethel giving the ball up nine times to the Gusties' eight.
After the intermission, the Gusties once again jumped out strong, going on a six point run and bringing the score to 36-30, including four more from Stevermer. It was déjà vu on Gus Young Court, with Bethel going on a 16-4 run over the middle portion of the quarter, going 5-for-7 again. In the section, the Gusties turned the ball over six times, allowing the Royals to steal the ball away five times while Gustavus forced three from Bethel. Junior Ella Peters (River Falls, Wis.) reached double digits in points as the quarter winded down, bringing the game back within two, but a buzzer beater from the Royals mitigated the damage, taking a 50-44 lead into the final frame.
Gustavus was able to push the lead down to four early in the quarter, but Bethel pushed right back, bringing the lead to eight as the fourth quarter started. The Gusties were not going to go quietly into the night, though, providing friction with a 7-0 run themselves, punctuated by a Stevermer three to bring the game back within one with 5:10 remaining in the contest. This would prove to be the last time the Gusties would be within one, as a layup, turnover, three-pointer progression for the visitors brought their lead back to six just as quickly as it went down to one. Bethel brought the lead up to double digits at 10 points and while Gustavus was able to bring it down to six with 24 seconds remaining, there would not be enough time on the clock, eliminating the Gusties from the MIAC Women's Basketball Playoffs.
Stevermer continued her streak of double-digit games, scoring 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting for Gustavus. Peters, junior classmate Kendyl Queensland (Grand Meadow, Minn.), and sophomore Anna Goodman (Lakeville, Minn.) all stole the ball away four times, while Goodman joined fellow Lakeville native junior Whitley Ronn with four assists to lead the team. Goodman did not miss a single second of game time, playing all 40 minutes. The team shot 23-for-45 (51.1. percent) from the field and scored 30 points off the bench, but turned the ball over 29 times in the loss.
The team now waits for the NCAA Selection Show, scheduled for March 2nd at 1:30 p.m. CT to see if their season will continue.
