SAINT PETER, Minn. – The No. 11 nationally ranked Gustavus Adolphus College men's basketball team battled the Saint John's University Johnnies at home Saturday night in the MIAC Playoff Championship game. The Gusties rallied from down 12 in the second half to win 75-66 over the Johnnies to claim the conference postseason title; their second in the past three years. With the win, Gustavus improved to 25-2 on the season and secured the MIAC's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
The Gusties started the championship game strong out the gate, taking a 10-point lead up 21-11 in the first seven minutes. Saint John's rallied to cut Gustavus' lead down to just three points, hitting a three to cap off a 10-3 run that cut the score to 24-21. The Gusties stopped the bleeding and responded with an 11-2 run to take a 12-point lead up 35-23 with 5:40 to go until halftime. At that point, however, the Johnnies caught fire; scoring 16 in a row to take a 39-35 lead with 1:13 to go in the first half. The Gusties trailed 41-37 at halftime.
Saint John's opened the second half with a 10-2 run to take a 12-point lead up 51-39 with 17 minutes remaining. The Johnnies had gone from trailing by 12 to leading by 12 on the strength of a 28-4 run. At that point, though, it was the Gusties' turn to rally. Over the next 10 minutes, Gustavus went on a 22-9 run to retake the lead up 61-60 on a
Myles Barnette jumper with 7:39 to go. Gustavus built their lead to nine points up 69-60 with 3:16 to go as they capped off a 14-0 run that took 5 minutes and 54 seconds of game time. The Gusties maintained their lead down the final stretch and closed out the 75-66 win to earn the MIAC postseason title.
Barnette had a dominant game for Gustavus, leading the way with 29 points on 82.4% (14-for-17) shooting from the field while also recording five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Jake Schmitt followed, scoring 16 points while shooting 37.5% (3-for-8) from beyond the arc.
Up next for Gustavus is the NCAA Tournament. The Gusties will learn where and when they will be competing in the opening rounds of the national tournament on Monday at 12:00pm during the NCAA Selection Show.
