The Gustavus women’s basketball team lost to St. Ben’s 67-52 on Wednesday night in St. Joseph, Minn. The Gusties, who suffered their first loss of the season, led 31-23 at the half, but were outscored 44-21 in the second half. First year post Katie Layman (Hudson, Wis.) led Gustavus with 13 points, which is her career high. The only other Gustavus player in double figures was Bri Monahan (Sr., Hutchinson, Minn.) with 10 points. Monahan also grabbed eight rebounds.
St. Ben’s was led by Katy Kempe with 11 points. Others in double figures included Ariel Tauer and Jaime Goener with 10 points each.
While Gustavus controlled play in the first half, the Blazers took charge in the second half. St. Ben’s shot a red-hot 56.7% from the field (17-30) and committed just six turnovers in the final 20 minutes, while the Gusties shot a chilly 36.8% from the field (7-19) and committed 13 turnovers.
Gustavus falls to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the MIAC, while St. Ben’s improves to 5-2 overall and 4-0 in the MIAC. The Gusties are now off until January 3 when they host the College of St. Catherine in St. Peter.