Molly Geske brings the ball up the floor. (Photo by Brian Fowler, SportPix)
The Gustavus women’s baskeball team broke open a tight game with a 16-0 run to start the second half and claimed a convincing 57-40 win over St. Olaf in St. Peter on Wednesday night. The Gusties, who improve to 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the MIAC, were led by Molly Mathiowetz with 15 points.
The Gusties made 11-of-27 shots from the field in the first half (40.7), while holding the Oles to just 8-of-27 from the field (29.6 percent). Gustavus held a 26-19 lead at the intermission.
The early part of the second half was all Gustavus as Coach Mickey Haller’s squad used a 16-0 run in the first six minutes of play to build a 23-point lead at 42-19. The Oles would get no closer than 15 points the rest of the game.
The Gusties had three individuals reach double digits in scoring including Mathiowetz with 15, Molly Geske with 10, and Emily Nelson with 10. Gustavus shot 40.4 percent from the field (21-52) and 61.1 percent from the free throw line (11-18). St. Olaf was led by Jamie Erdahl with 12 points. The Oles shot 25.5 percent from the field (13-51) and 83.3 percent from the free throw line (10-12).
Gustavus (8-2, 6-1) extended its win streak against St. Olaf (3-7, 1-6) to 19 games dating back to 1998-99 season. The Gusties will play at Hamline on Saturday at 1:00 pm, while the Oles face Bethel in Arden Hills, Minn. at 1:00 pm.