The Gustavus men’s basketball suffered its third straight loss in a 79-58 decision to No. 19 Whitworth University in the final day of the Ameriprise Whitworth Classic on Monday in San Francisco, California. Sam Paulson was the only Gustie to reach double figures with 16 points followed by eight points from Jesse Van Sickle. Whitworth had four players record double-digit points, including David Riley, who tallied 24 on 9-for-12 shooting from the field. Gustavus dropped to 3-5 overall and Whitworth improved to 8-1 this season.
Gustavus trailed by five points at 19-14 with 9:35 remaining in the first half after a layup from Sam Paulson. However, the Pirates went on a 12-0 scoring spurt over the next three minutes to take a 31-14 lead with 6:46 on the clock. Whitworth took an 18-point 39-21 advantage into halftime as the Pirates shot 61.9 percent from the floor, including a scorching 6-of-10 from behind the three-point arc. The Gusties struggled in the half offensively, making 7-of-22 at 31.8 percent.
Gustavus was unable to cut the deficit to less than 16 points in the second half as Whitworth went on to the 79-58 victory. The Gusties posted 10 steals as they forced the Pirates to commit 17 turnovers, but Whitworth owned a 30-20 rebounding advantage. The Pirates also hit 11 3-point field goals compared to five for Gustavus.
The Gusties return to MIAC play on Monday, January 5 when Gustavus faces Macalester at Gus Young Court at 7:30 p.m.