The Gustavus women’s basketball team went on a 18-3 run in the second half to overcome a five-point halftime deficit and capture a 77-65 win over St. Kate’s. Bri Monahan scored a career high 29 points and grabbed 10 boards to lead the Gusties. Jess Vadnais also posted 19 points, 16 of them coming in the second half. Lacy Skoog scored eight points and dished out seven assists while directing the offense. Four Wildcats scored in double figures, including Natalie Lyzhoft and Rachel Berglund who led the team with 16 points a piece.
Gustavus struggled in the first half, shooting only 30% (12-39) from the field and 9.1% (1-11) from 3-point range. The Wildcats jumped out to an early six-point lead and buillt their lead to as many as ten points off of 42% (13-31) shooting. St. Kate’s took a 34-29 lead into halftime under the direction of the team’s only senior Natalie Lyzhoft who scored 11 points in the half.
The Gusties came out as a different team in the second half, improving nearly every aspect of their game. Bri Monahan’s 29 points were a result of accurate passing and patience to work the ball inside for easy points in the paint. The Gusties opened the half with a 12-4 run to give the team a three-point advantage with 14:29 left to play. Gustavus then held the Wildcats to only one basket over five minutes and built a 23 point lead, their largest advantage of the game. Rachel Berglund scored eight of her 16 points for the Wildcats in the final minute and a half of play, but the Gusties held on for a 77-65 win.
Coach Haller’s squad improved its shooting dramatically in the second half, going 15-31 (48.4%), 3-5 (60.0%) from behind the arc and an impressive 15-17 (88.2%) from the free-throw line. The Gusties also outrebounded the Wildcats by a 46-39 margin.
The Gusties will have Sunday off before traveling to St. Paul to take on St. Thomas on Monday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.