Jesse Van Sickle kept the game within reach hitting a three-pointer with :16 seconds left in the first half, tying the game at 32-32.  Gustavus built on the strong first half finish taking the lead twice on jumpers by Sam Paulson and Jesse Van Sickle.  It would not take long for the Mustangs to answer as Kevin Andrews hit a three-pointer with 18:34 left giving SMSU the 37-36 advantage.  The Mustangs would not relinquish the lead as they went on to build a 19 point lead with four minutes left in the game.  Southwest State out-shot Gustavus 59.4 to 48.3 percent in the second half.   Southwest Minnesota State’s Trent Carlson and Taylor Huseby led the Mustangs with 13 points each.

The Gusties will continue non-conference play on Nov. 24th as they travel to Storm Lake, Iowa for an 8:00 pm  game with Buena Vista University.

Box Score

2009-10 Men’s Basketball Season Preview

Senior Wing Jesse Van Sickle

The Gustavus men’s basketball team returns three starters and six letterwinners from a squad that finished sixth in the conference last season and advanced to the semifinals of the MIAC Playoffs. Senior captains Jesse Van Sickle (Garden City, Minn.) and Ryan McPartland (Le Sueur, Minn.) along with senior post Sam Paulson (Waseca, Minn.) will lead the Gusties as they make a push to return to the top of the MIAC.

On the perimeter, two-year letterwinner Dan Schmidtknecht (LaCrosse, Wis.) will take over at point guard where he backed up Mike DesLauriers last season.  Schmidtknecht averaged 2.6 assists per game last season and led the team in steals (29). He has emerged as a leader on the court and will be asked to control the game with his ability to penetrate the lane and get the ball to an open teammate. Joining Schmidtknecht on the perimeter will be veteran Jesse Van Sickle and Phil Wirtjes (Des Moines, IA).  A three-year letterwinner, Van Sickle averaged a team high 26.7 minutes per game while scoring an average 10.4 points per game last season.  He led the league in 3-point field goal percentage at 46.0 percent (46-100) and was named to the 2008-09 MIAC All-Conference team.  Wirtjes scored 3.9 points per game while playing an average of 15 minutes per game last season.  He is a strong defensive player and good ball handler who compliments Schmidtknect and Van Sickle well.  Other returners that are expected to provide depth on the perimeter will be sophomores Tyler Gray (Montevideo, Minn.), Seth Anderson (Minnesota Lake, Minn.), and Adam Michel (Belle Plaine, Minn.). Newcomers that could compete for playing time include Ty Moore (Brooklyn Park, MN), Ben Biewen (Edina, Minn.), and James Hill (Edina, Minn.).

Senior Post Ryan McPartland

In the post, Gustavus will build around returning starters Sam Paulson (6-9) and Ryan McPartland (6-5).  Both Paulson and McPartland gained valuable experience last season and will be expected improve their scoring and consistency this year. The scrappy McPartland led the team in rebounds last year with an average of 5.5 rebounds per game, while scoring 9.7 points per game, while Paulson averaged 9.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.  Both players received honorable mention All-Conference honors last year.  Sophomore Bobby Johnson (Edina, Minn.) was expected to play a big role inside for the Gusties this season, however a knee injury late in the summer will likely cause him to miss the entire season. Senior Mychal Crowder (Minneapolis, Minn.) and sophomore Paul Blacklock (Winona, Minn.) will back up Paulson and McPartland in the post.

The Gusties will open their season with non-conference games against Buena Vista (away) and UW-La Crosse (at home) in late November before opening conference play at Carleton in early December.  Over the holiday break, Mark Hanson and his squad will head to Hawaii to face Hawaii Pacific and the University of Hawaii-Hilo.

Junior Jesse Van Sickle is an All-MIAC pick in 2009.

First-year Bobby Johnson was one of the first players to come off the bench for the Gusties.

Junior Ryan McPartland ranked ninth in the league in rebounding at 5.8 boards per game.

Junior Sam Paulson shot 57.8 percent from the field in league play.

Gustavus Adolphus men’s basketball player Jesse Van Sickle (Jr., Garden City, Minn./LCWM) has been named All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference by a vote of the league’s coaches. Bobby Johnson (Fy., Edina, Minn.) was named to the All-Rookie Team, while juniors Ryan McPartland (Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson) and Sam Paulson (Waseca, Minn.) received honorable mention. Tim Olmstead (Sr., Glencoe, Minn./Glencoe-Silver Lake) was Gustavus’ representative on the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team.

Van Sickle, a member of the All-Rookie team in 2007, led the Gusties in scoring this season averaging 10.4 points per game as well as 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. In conference competition, he lead the league in three-point percentage at 48.6 percent while finishing sixth in three-point field goals made per game at 1.75. Van Sickle recorded a career-high 26 points against Bethel on February 18 and poured in another 22 points versus Buena Vista on November 25.

Johnson provided a spark off the bench for Coach Mark Hanson and saw increased playing time throughout the season. Against conference opponents, Johnson averaged 6.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. He posted a season-high 15 points versus Carleton on January 21 and Macalester on February 4.

McPartland, an honorable mention selection in 2009, started all 27 games this season and scored 10.3 points per game and shot 52.7 percent from the field in league play. He ranked ninth in the conference in rebounding at 5.8 boards per game. McPartland had his highest scoring game of the season against Hamline on January 10 when he scored 19 points.

Paulson averaged 10.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per conference contest and started every game this season for Coach Mark Hanson. He ranked fourth in the MIAC in field-goal percentage as he hit 57.8 percent of his shots from the floor. Paulson recorded a double-double versus Saint John’s in the last game of the regular season with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Olmstead appeared in 27 games this season and averaged 3.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game.

Gustavus finished the season at 13-14 overall, sixth in the MIAC standings with a mark of 11-9, and advanced to the semifinal round of the MIAC Post-Season Tournament.

With the score tied 11-11 in the first half, Anders Halvorsen scored the next seven St. Thomas points to trigger a 26-4 run that put the Tommies ahead 37-15 with 3:22 left in the frame. Tim Olmstead hit a 65-foot buzzer-beater before the end of the half to pull Gustavis to within 17 points as the Gusties went into the locker room trailing 43-26.

The Tommies tallied the first seven points of the second half to extend their lead as they went ahead by 24 points at 50-26. The Gusties stopped the run after a pair of Sam Paulson free throws, but St. Thomas went on another 15-3 run to see its lead grow to over 30 points midway through the second half as the Tommies cruised to the victory.

Robert Schmidt went 5-for-7 from the field and was perfect from behind the three-point arc going 3-for-3 as he scored 13 points. Ryan McPartland, Sam Paulson, Bobby Johnson, and Tim Olmstead scored six points each in the losing effort. Gustavus shot 34.7 percent from the floor on 17-for-49 shooting, while going 11-for-18 from the charity stripe (61.1 percent). Joe Scott paced the balanced St. Thomas attack with 13 points as the Tommie bench outscored the Gustie reserves 54-25. St. Thomas shot 55.8 percent on 29-for-52 shooting and converted 26-of-31 free throws (83.9 percent).

Gustavus finished the season at 13-14, while St. Thomas improved to 26-0. The Tommies will now face Bethel in the MIAC Championship game on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in St. Paul. The winner will earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Box Score

Jesse Van Sickle lead the Gusties in scoring at 10.8 points per game.

Sam Paulson is averaging 13.5 points and 8.0 rebounds over the last four games.

Ryan McPartland helps provide a presence in the post as he averages 5.6 boards per game.

The No. 6 seed Gustavus men’s basketball team will face No. 1 seed St. Thomas in the MIAC Semifinals on Wednesday night at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul with tip-off at 7:30 p.m. The winner will advance to the conference championship game on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the site of the highest remaining seed. Gustavus enters the contest at 13-13, while St. Thomas is undefeated at 25-0. You can listen to the game on KRDS-FM (95.5) or through the Gustavus website.

-The Gusties are making their ninth consecutive appearance in the MIAC semifinals after Monday’s 71-68 win over Saint John’s. It is the longest streak of any team in the conference followed by St. Thomas, which has made five straight semifinal appearances. The only time Gustavus and the Tommies have previously met in the MIAC semifinals was in 1988 when the Gusties prevailed 65-58 at Gus Young Court.

-Jesse Van Sickle and Sam Paulson lead Gustavus in scoring averaging 10.8 and 10.1 points per game, respectively. However, ten different players have paced Gustavus in scoring this season.

-The Gusties finished the conference schedule ranked fourth in scoring offense at 69.8 points per game and second in scoring defense allowing 63.0 points per game.

-Gustavus was second in the MIAC behind St. Thomas in field goal percentage making 49.3 percent of its shots. The Gusties were also second in three-point field goal percentage at 38.9 percent (105-for-270). Jesse Van Sickle led the conference in three-point field goal percentage at 48.6 percent (35-for-72).

-The Gusties led the league in rebounding margin by grabbing an average of 5.2 boards more than their opponent.

-This season the halftime score has been a good predictor of the outcome of the game as Gustavus is 12-3 in games when it is leading at halftime and 1-10 when it is trailing at halftime.

-The Gusties’ upset over No. 3 Saint John’s marked the fifth time since the expansion of the MIAC Playoffs to a six-team format in 2000-01 that the sixth-seed has defeated the third-seed. The last time the No. 6 team defeated the No. 3 team was in 2007 when St. Olaf knocked off Bethel 81-79 in overtime.

-Junior Sam Paulson recorded his first double-double of the season and second of his career with 17 points and 13 boards against Saint John’s on Saturday. He followed up the performance with 15 points and six rebounds in Monday night’s game against the Johnnies. Over the last four games, Paulson has averaged 13.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.

The Gusties’ starting lineup includes junior wing Jesse Van Sickle (10.8 ppg), junior post Sam Paulson (10.1 ppg), junior wing Ryan McPartland (9.9 ppg), senior wing Robert Schmidt (7.6), and senior point guard Mike DesLauriers (2.7 ppg). Sophomore point guard Dan Schmidtknecht (5.6 ppg) and first-year post Bobby Johnson (6.4 ppg) are the first players off the bench.

The Tommies starting lineup includes junior guard Joe Scott (13.4 ppg), senior guard B.J. Viau (10.4 ppg), sophomore point guard Tyler Nicolai (9.5 ppg), senior forward Alex McCoy (8.3 ppg), and senior guard Lonnie Robinson (7.6 ppg). Sophomore forward Anders Halvorsen is the first player off the bench (7.2 ppg).

MIAC Tournament Website

Gustavus Statistics

St. Thomas Statistics

Sam Paulson puts a shot up off the glass. (Photo Courtesy: Ryan Coleman, d3sports.com)

The Gustavus men’s basketball team outscored Saint John’s 8-0 in the last 3:43 to pull out a 71-68 come-from-behind victory in the first round of the MIAC playoffs on Monday night in Collegeville. The Gustie offense hit 57.1 percent of its shots from the floor, but it was the defense down the stretch that proved to be the difference in the contest. Gustavus, which improved to 13-13 overall, earned the right to face St. Thomas in the semifinal round on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in St. Paul.

Gustavus held onto a slim lead throughout the first half until Robert Schmidt and Jesse Van Sickle hit three-point baskets as part of an 8-1 run to put the Gusties ahead 26-16 with 7:57 remaining in the opening frame. The Johnnies answered back when they outscored Gustavus 13-2 over the next four minutes to grab their first lead of the contest at 29-28. Both squads traded baskets until a layup by Paulson in the final minute and a three-pointer by Dan Schmidtknecht at the buzzer gave the Gusties a 38-33 lead at halftime.

Gustavus battled to stay ahead of Saint John’s in the second half, but the Johnnies put together a 9-2 stretch that was capped off by an Andy Burns three-pointer to grab a 63-56 lead with 5:53 left on the clock.

Saint John’s clung to a five-point advantage at 68-63 before Schmidtknecht and Van Sickle hit consecutive baskets to pull the Gusties to within one point at 68-67 with 1:36 remaining in the game. Both teams missed shots on ensuing possession when Paulson hauled in a defensive rebound with 00:43 on the clock.

After a 30-second Gustavus timeout, Ryan McPartland scored the go-ahead layup to help the Gusties regain a 69-68 lead. The Johnnies came down the floor, got a shot off, but Schmidtknecht pulled down a key defensive rebound. Saint John’s committed two fouls before sending Gustavus to the foul line where Robert Schmidt nailed a pair of free throws. The Johnnies had one last attempt to tie the game, but Andrew Latzke’s three-pointer was off the mark as the Gusties posted the 71-68 road win.

Robert Schmidt and Sam Paulson led Gustavus with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Four other players contributed at least eight points in the win as the Gustie bench outscored the Saint John’s bench 21-10. The Johnnies were paced by Aaron Burtzel, who recorded 21 points and eight rebounds. Both teams shot well from the floor as Gustavus was 28-for-49 shooting at 57.1 percent and Saint John’s was 25-for-50 shooting at 50 percent.

Gustavus will now face St. Thomas in the MIAC semifinals on Wednesday night at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul at 7:30 p.m. Saint John’s finished the season at 14-12 as Jim Smith was denied the 700th win of his career.

Box Score

Saint John’s took a double-digit lead with 4:42 gone in the opening half when Cole Isetts hit a three-pointer to put the Johnnies ahead 15-5. Gustavus answered with a 9-2 run powered by six points from Sam Paulson and a three from Jesse Van Sickle to narrow the gap at 17-14 with 11:19 on the clock. However, the Gusties struggled to score over the next seven minutes as the team committed four turnovers and failed to make several layups as the Johnnies built a 28-16 advantage. Both squads traded baskets before intermission as Gustavus went into the locker room trailing 35-22.

A layup by Ryan McPartland pulled the Gusties to within seven points at 35-28 less than three minutes into the second half, but a three-point basket by Andy Burns and a pair of free throws from Isetts put Saint John’s ahead 40-28. The Johnnies maintained their double-figure lead throughout the second half until Gustavus made a late charge to pull within 63-56 with 1:15 left. However, Saint John’s made its free throws down the stretch en route to the 71-60 win.

Sam Paulson posted a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Jesse Van Sickle contributed 20 points in 35 minutes. No other Gustie recorded more than seven points. Five Johnnies scored more than ten points with Aaron Burtzel leading the way with 15. Gustavus struggled from behind the three-point arc on 4-for-16 shooting at 25 percent compared to Saint John’s, which went 8-for-19 at 42 percent.

By virtue of the loss, Gustavus is the No. 6 seed in the MIAC Playoffs and will face Saint John’s, which is the No. 3 seed, in Collegeville on Monday at 7:30 p.m.

Box Score

Both teams played to an early 7-7 tie before Bethel used a 17-4 run over a seven-minute stretch to build its biggest lead of the opening half at 24-11. The Gusties cut the lead to seven points after a pair of Jesse Van Sickle three-point baskets as halftime approached, but went into the locker room trailing 44-34. Both teams were efficient offensively as Gustavus shot 53.8 percent and the Royals shot 54.3 percent, but Bethel capitalized on seven Gustie turnovers to grab the lead.

Midway through the second half, Jesse Van Sickle capped off a 13-3 Gustavus run with eight points to cut the Royal lead to 58-56 with 10:22 left on the clock. The Gusties kept the game a two-possession contest before Bethel went on its decisive 8-0 stretch to go ahead 74-63. The Royals hit their free throws, while Gustavus were unable to make key shots as Bethel recorded the win.

Two Gusties reached double-digits as Jesse Van Sickle recorded 26 points, 17 of which came in the second half, and Ryan McPartland added 14 points. Gustavus shot nearly 53 percent for the game and 85 percent from the charity stripe, but could not overcome 15 turnovers. Four Bethel players scored over ten points including Tim Madson with 28, Cory Laugen with 21, Mike Moberg with 16, and Nathan Robertson with 11.

The Gusties moved into a tie for fifth place in the MIAC standings at 11-8 and dropped to 12-12 overall. Bethel took over sole possession of second place in the league at 13-6 and improved to 18-6 overall. Gustavus will wrap up the regular season on Saturday against Saint John’s in Collegeville at 3 p.m.

Box Score

Sam Paulson finished the game with 14 points and nine boards.

Jesse Van Sickle drives to the hoop.

Robert Schmidt is stopped along the baseline.

Ryan McPartland looks to make a move on Alex McCoy of St. Thomas.

In front of a full house with a playoff-like atmosphere, the top-ranked St. Thomas defense did not allow many clear looks at the basket as the Gustavus men’s basketball team lost 72-59 at Gus Young Court on Saturday afternoon. The Tommies held the Gusties to 39 percent shooting, while going 53 percent from the floor themselves. Sam Paulson fell one rebound short of recording a double-double as he poured in 14 points and grabbed nine boards. St. Thomas was paced by B.J. Viau, who scored 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting.

Bobby Johnson converted a pair of free throws to give Gustavus a two-point lead, but B.J. Viau hit a jump shot on the next Tommie possession to trigger a 10-2 run that gave St. Thomas a 17-11 lead with 8:54 left in the first half. The Gusties stuck with the Tommies the rest of the frame and appeared to be headed into the locker room trailing 37-31 at halftime, but Brett Tuma hit a left-handed layup as time expired to give St. Thomas an eight-point lead. The Tommies shot nearly 58 percent from the floor in the period, but Gustavus stayed within striking distance after going 14-for-19 from the charity stripe.

Head Coach Mark Hanson’s troop pulled to within five points at 47-42 after Sam Paulson completed an old-fashioned three-point play with 16:30 on the clock before the offense began to struggle. Both squads failed to score for several minutes before Ryan McPartland sank two free throws to make the score 51-44 in favor of St. Thomas. The Tommies then rattled off the next eight points to give them their largest lead of the game at 59-44 with 7:53 remaining. Gustavus was unable to cut the margin to single digits the rest of the way as St. Thomas left with a 72-59 win.

Three Gusties finished in double-figures including Sam Paulson with 14, Robert Schmidt with 13, and Jesse Van Sickle with 10. Bobby Johnson came off the bench to post seven points and eight rebounds. Gustavus was 18-for-46 from the field for 39.1 percent, but hit 19-of-25 from the free-throw line. B.J. Viau was one of four Tommie players to reach double-digits with 15 points as Joe Scott and Alex Healy recorded 11 points and Tyler Nicolai added 10.

The Gusties, who fell to 12-11 overall and 11-7 in the MIAC, stand in a three-way tie for fourth place in the standings. The Tommies remained undefeated with a record of 22-0 overall and 18-0 in the league. Gustavus will travel to Arden Hills on Wednesday to face Bethel at 7:30 p.m.

Box Score

Photo Gallery

Dan Schmidtknecht pulls up for the shot in the paint.

Jesse Van Sickle passes to a teammate on the baseline.

Gustauvs clinched its nine straight bid in the MIAC Playoffs.

Mychal Crowder goes in for a layup on a breakaway.

The Gustavus men’s basketball team went on a decisive 31-2 run in the first half en route to clinching its ninth consecutive berth in the MIAC Playoffs after a 74-55 win against St. Olaf on Wednesday in St. Peter. For the first twenty minutes, the Gusties were nearly perfect on the offensive end shooting 65.4 percent, while holding the Oles to just 28.6 percent. Phil Wirtjes and Robert Schmidt contributed 14 points each in the victory for Gustavus.

After a pair of Brady McMahon free throws to put St. Olaf ahead 4-2 early in the first half, Jesse Van Sickle drained a three-point basket as part of a 9-0 run to give the Gusties an 11-4 lead. Nate Krosschell stopped the run for the Oles with a jumper with 13:40 on the clock, but it would be the last basket for St. Olaf over the next seven minutes as Gustavus hit five three-pointers during a 22-0 stretch to go up 33-6 with 7:09 left in the half.

At halftime, the Gusties went into the locker room leading 47-16, due in part to seven three-pointers. The Oles struggled from the field going 6-for-21 and were out-rebounded during the period 19-5.

St. Olaf started the second half with increased aggressiveness on both ends of the floor as Mark Torell and Krosschell combined to score the first nine points of the frame, cutting the deficit to 22 points at 47-25 as the Gustavus offense cooled off. However, the margin was too great for the Oles to overcome as the Gusties led by at least 17 points for the duration of the contest.

Phil Wirtjes and Robert Schmidt provided 14 points on 11-for-15 shooting combined, as well as making six three-point baskets. Head Coach Mark Hanson’s club controlled the glass as it out-rebounded St. Olaf 35-19 as Mychal Crowder led the way with nine rebounds off of the bench. St. Olaf’s Nate Krosschell led all scorers with 22 points, 19 of which came in the second half, as no other Ole player reached double-digits.

The Gusties, who improved to 12-10 overall and 11-6 in the conference, are now in a five-way tie for second place in the MIAC with three games to play in the regular season. Gustavus will face unbeaten St. Thomas on Saturday at 3 p.m. in St. Peter. St. Olaf, which dropped to 8-14 overall and 5-12 in the league, hosts Saint Mary’s on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Box Score

Photo Gallery