The Gustavus men’s basketball team broke open a tight game with a 20-4 run late in the first half and never looked back on its way to a convincing 93-60 win at Saint Mary’s on Wednesday night. The Gusties made 55.6 percent of their shots from the field (40-72) including an identical 20-of-36 from the field in each half. Trevor Wittwer scored 17 points to lead Gustavus to victory.
The game started out very tight with the Cardinals matching the Gusties point for point through the first 12 minutes of play. However, with the game tied at 19-19 at the 12:05 mark, Gustavus would go on a 20-4 run over the next nine minutes to take a 16-point, 39-23 lead with 2:55 left in the half. Freshman Dan Schmidtknecht and senior Kane Sivesind sparked the Gustie surge with seven points each. Gustavus led 48-29 at the intermission.
The Gusties picked up right where they left off at the end of the first half as they outscored the Cardinals 17-4 during the first six minutes of the second half to extend their lead to 34 points at 67-33. Saint Mary’s would get no closer than 30 points the rest of the game.
Gustavus head coach Mark Hanson used 15 players in the game and 12 of those players scored at least two points. The Gusties placed three players in double figures including Trevor Wittwer with 17, Kane Sivesind with 16, and Dan Schmidtknecht with a career-high 14.
The Gusties posted season highs in several statistical categories including points scored (93), field goals made (23), and assists (28).
Gustavus, which is currently in second place in the MIAC standings with a record of 12-3, will play at first place St. Thomas (14-2) on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 pm.