Mychal Crowder battles for the rebound. (Ryan Coleman, D3photography.com)
Sam Paulson contests a Hamline shot. (Ryan Coleman, D3photography.com)
The Gustavus men’s basketball team shot over 50 percent for the third straight game to help the Gusties defeat Hamline 82-64 in St. Paul on Saturday afternoon. Head Coach Mark Hanson’s squad went 26-for-47 from the floor for 55.3 percent, while holding the Pipers to 45.7 percent on 21-for-46 shooting. Ryan McPartland led Gustavus with a career-high 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds. The Gusties improved to 6-5 overall and 5-1 in the MIAC, while Hamline dropped to 3-9 overall and 2-6 in league play.
Both squads were engaged in a seesaw battle throughout most of the first half as there were ten lead changes in the frame. The Pipers held a slim 31-30 lead after a pair of free throws from Levi Wenrich with 2:35 on the clock when Robert Schmidt hit a three-point basket to fuel an 11-0 Gustie run. During the run, Gustavus went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe as Seth Anderson made a jumper as time expired to give the Gusties their largest lead of the half at 41-31.
Hamline closed the gap to nine points after Carl Hipp hit a jump shot to make the score 56-47 with 11:20 left in the contest. However, that would be as close as the Pipers would get as Gustavus went on a 12-2 scoring stretch over the next four minutes to go up 68-49. A three-point play from Dan Schmidtknecht started the run and was capped off by a three-pointer from Jesse Van Sickle. Ryan McPartland gave the Gusties’ their biggest lead of the game at 21 points when he sank a pair of free-throws to make the score 78-57 before cruising to the 82-64 victory.
Four Gusties reached double-digits including McPartland with 19, Robert Schmidt with 13, and Jesse Van Sickle and Tyler Grey with 10 each. Gustavus dominated the glass, limiting Hamline to only three offensive boards, as the Gusties out-rebounded Hamline 36-19. Both teams shot well from the free-throw line as Gustavus converted 23-for-28 at 82.1 percent and the Pipers were 18-for-24 at 75 percent. Carl Hipp led Hamline with 16 points.
Gustavus will look to extend its winning streak on Wednesday when the Gusties face Bethel in St. Peter at 7:30 p.m.