The Gustavus men’s basketball team kept it’s unbeaten MIAC record intact with a 70-38 victory over Macalester Monday night in St. Paul, Minn. Gustavus shot 51% (25-49) from the field in the game, as Macalester shot 35.6% (16-45). Phil Wirtjes and Ryan McPartland were the leading scorers for the Gusties. Wirtjes had 11 points on 3-6 shooting, while McPartland had 10 points shooting a perfect 4-4 from the field.
The Gusties got off to a fast start, taking a 7-0 lead on a three-pointer by Phil Wirtjes three minutes into the game. Two minutes later, Gustavus took a 12-2 lead after a Tyler Grey three-pointer capped a three offensive rebound possession for the Gusties. The Gusties out-rebounded Macalester 17-7 in the half and 35-21 in the game. Gustavus closed the half on a 16-2 run, making the score 40-13 at halftime. The Scots shot just 30% (6-20) from the field in the half, as Gustavus shot 58.3% (14-24).
The Gusties maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game, as the Scots’ smallest deficit was 24 points, after a pair of made free throws by Holden Bigler-Johnson. The Gusties outshot the Scots 44% (11-25) to 40% (10-25) in the half. The leading scorer for Macalester was Pierce Peters, who scored 13 points on 6-8 shooting.
The Gustavus men’s basketball team will play host to St. Olaf on Wednesday, Jan. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in St. Peter, Minn.