The Gustavus women’s basketball team jumped out to a 25-11 lead and never looked back on its way to a 79-61 victory over the Oles in Northfield. The Gusties shot 58.1 percent from the field in the first half (18-31), while the Oles were a cool 41.2 percent (7-17). Molly Geske led Gustavus with 20 points. Geske made 7-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-6 from behind the arc, and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. Katie Lauer led the Oles with 16 points. The Gusties improve to 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the MIAC, while the Oles fall to 1-9 overall and 1-6 in the MIAC.
St. Olaf started the game with a 2-1 lead, but that would be its first and last lead of the game. The Oles got within two points at 11-9 with 14:48 remaining but the Gusties countered with 11 unanswered points to increase their lead 22-9. Gustavus led 50-21 at halftime.
In the second half, the Gusties increased their lead to 31 points within the first two minutes of play. St. Olaf slowly picked away at the lead by outscoring the Gusties 40-29 in the final 20 minutes, but it was not enough to overcome a 29-point first half deficit. Gustavus shot only 20.8% (5-24) from the field in the second half, while the Oles shot 52.2% (12-23).
Geske led all scorers with 20 points. Others in double-digits for Gustavus were Ava Perry with 15, and Molly Mathiowetz with 11. St. Olaf was led by Katie Lauer with 16 points.
The Gustie women will play Hamline at home this Saturday starting at 1:00 p.m.