The Gustavus men’s basketball team lost an exhibition game to Southwest Minnesota State University 84-66 in an on Monday night in Marshall, Minn. SMSU shot 54.1 (33-61) percent on the night compared to Gustavus’s 47.3 percent (26-55). Jesse Van Sickle and Sam Paulson led the way for the Gusties scoring 14 and 12 points respectively.
Jesse Van Sickle kept the game within reach hitting a three-pointer with :16 seconds left in the first half, tying the game at 32-32. Gustavus built on the strong first half finish taking the lead twice on jumpers by Sam Paulson and Jesse Van Sickle. It would not take long for the Mustangs to answer as Kevin Andrews hit a three-pointer with 18:34 left giving SMSU the 37-36 advantage. The Mustangs would not relinquish the lead as they went on to build a 19 point lead with four minutes left in the game. Southwest State out-shot Gustavus 59.4 to 48.3 percent in the second half. Southwest Minnesota State’s Trent Carlson and Taylor Huseby led the Mustangs with 13 points each.
The Gusties will continue non-conference play on Nov. 24th as they travel to Storm Lake, Iowa for an 8:00 pm game with Buena Vista University.