The Gustavus women’s basketball team staged a 18-4 run to rally from an eight-point deficit late in the second half for a 71-66 win against St. Olaf on Saturday afternoon in Northfield. The Gusties forced the Oles to commit 24 turnovers compared to 13 turnovers of their own. Gustavus remained in third place in the conference with the win as it moved to 16-7 overall and 15-5 in the MIAC. St. Olaf slipped to 7-16 overall and 6-14 in the league.
It was a seesaw battle throughout the first half as both squads traded leads 11 times during the period. St. Olaf established its largest lead of the half at 26-21 with 6:15 remaining after a jump shot by Danielle Stoermer. The Oles headed into the locker room with a 31-29 lead as the team hit 5-of-13 from behind the three-point arc.
St. Olaf grabbed its biggest lead of the game at 40-32 after a 7-0 run with 13:50 left in the contest. Gustavus stormed back though with an 18-4 run in the late stages of the second half as St. Olaf was held scoreless for nearly three minutes for a 67-57 lead. The Oles whittled down the deficit to two points with 00:29 left after a three-point basket by Jamie Erdahl, but the Gusties hit three free throws in the closing seconds for the 71-66 victory.
Jess Vadnais led all scorers with 23 points on 3-of-7 shooting from the three-point arc to go along with four steals. Bri Radtke chipped in 11 points and six assists in the win. Gustavus had balanced scoring throughout the lineup as the bench outscored the Ole bench 23-7. Gustavus also converted 17-of-29 shots from the charity stripe, while St. Olaf went 2-of-3. Four players reached double figures for St. Olaf, including Jamie Erdahl with 18 points, Danielle Stoermer with 16, and Kelsey Oja with 12. Kristina Stoermer posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. The Oles hit 10 three-pointers in the contest.
Gustavus will travel to St. Paul to face playoff contender Hamline on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. St. Olaf will host Carleton on Wednesday night at 5:45 p.m.