The Gustavus women’s basketball team held off a late surge by the University of Redlands on Saturday night for a 63-54 victory in Redlands, Calif., ending its west coast trip with two in the win column and a 2-1 overall record on the season.
Molly Geske completed a three-point play with 7:35 remaining in the game to put the Gusties up 15 points (54-39), but Redlands responded with a 14-to-2 run over the next 5:43, cutting the deficit to three with just under two minutes remaining. Although, Geske answered the call with six of the team’s final seven points, including a steal, to secure the victory. The senior captain finished the contest with a game-high 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field and 8-for-9 from the charity stripe.
Throughout the first half, the Gusties and Bulldogs went back-and-forth with six lead changes and no more than a four-point advantage for each team. Gustavus generated momentum heading into the locker room, though, with a 7-to-2 run in the last two minutes and held a 30-29 lead at the break.
Brittany Oster converted two free throws in the first minute of the second half, giving the Bulldogs a 31-30 lead, but Abby Rothenbuelher answered with a layup, regaining a Gustavus lead that would not be relinquished for the remainder of the contest. Eli Benz scored the ensuing five points for Gustavus and ended with 14 points on the night. Julia Dysthe also tallied double-digit figures with 11 points off the Gustie bench.
The Black and Gold’s season-best 46.2-percent (24-of-52) from the field made the difference in an otherwise evenly matched contest. Both teams were comparable in free throw shooting (GA – 76.5%, UR – 72.7%), rebounds (31 each), assists (8-to-10), turnovers (20-to-24) and points off the bench (21-to-23).
The Gusties kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action Wednesday against Hamline in their home opener. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. in the Lund Forum.