The Gustavus men’s basketball team improved its record to 5-5 on the season with a convincing 74-57 win over St. Mary’s in St. Peter on Wednesday night. The Gusties jumped out to a 17-2 lead and never looked back on their way to a 17-point victory. Gustavus was led by sophomore Phil Sowden with a career-high 24 points and Adam TeBrake added 22 points. Michael Batterman led St. Mary’s with 13 points. Gustavus improved to 5-5 overall, 3-2 in the MIAC, while St. Mary’s dropped to 1-9 overall, 0-5 in the MIAC.
The Gusties opened the game with a 17-2 run in the first 5:29, including ten points in the paint and shooting 7-of-7 from the field. After leading 24-11, the Gusties finished the final 7:55 with an 18-13 edge. Junior Adam TeBrake finished the first half with a buzzer-beating three-point shot to give the Gusties an 18-point lead (42-24). The Gusties had 24 of their 42 points in the paint in the first half. Phil Sowden had 16 points and Adam TeBrake had 12 points in the half. Gustavus shot 63 percent (17-of-27) from the field and 40 percent (2-of-5) from the three-point arc. St. Mary’s shot 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from the field and 40 percent (4-of-10) from beyond the three-point line.
St. Mary’s pulled within 13 points (49-36) in the second half with 11:50 to play. St. Mary’s sophomore Michael Batterman pulled the Cardinals within 12 with a three-point play with 11:14 remaining. This was as close as St. Mary’s would get as senior Doug Espenson scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half. The Cardinals did manage to outscore Gustavus 33-32 in the second half.
Gustavus was 56 percent (28-of-50) from the field for the game while St. Mary’s shot 42.9 percent (21-of-49). The Gusties made 4-of-9 (44.4 percent) from the three-point line and the Cardinals shot 37.5 percent (9-of-24). Gustavus shot 70 percent (14-of-20) from the charity stripe while the Cardinals hit 66.7 percent (6-of-9). St. Mary’s had 18 turnovers and the Gusties had 13. Gustavus outrebounded St. Mary’s 32-23. Gustavus posted its 22nd consecutive win at home over the Cardinals dating back to 1982.
Gustavus was led by sophomore Phil Sowden who tallied a career-high 24 points. Adam TeBrake contributed 22 and Doug Espenson posted 16 while hauling down 8 boards and dishing out 7 assists. Doug Espenson reached two career milestones against St. Mary’s. He played in his 100th career game and scored his 900th career point (903).
The Cardinals had three players in double figures including Michael Batterman (13), Brensley Haywood (12), and Eric Lear (11).