WINONA, MINN. – After dropping its past two games, the Gustavus Adolphus men’s basketball team was able to find its way back into the win column when it defeated Saint Mary’s University 67-47 on Saturday afternoon at Saint Mary’s Gym. Gustavus was able to build an eight point lead by halftime and pulled away in the second period to secure the 20-point win. With the win, Gustavus improves to 4-2 in the MIAC and 8-3 overall, while Saint Mary’s falls to 1-6 in the MIAC and 2-8 overall.
Gustavus was able to build an early lead and with 12:34 remaining in the first half, led the Cardinals 12-4. By the 7:12 mark, Saint Mary’s had chipped that lead to only two (19-17), but four straight points from big man Peter Kruize (So., St. Peter, Minn.) allowed the Gusties to come back and retake an eight point lead going into halftime (32-24).
Gustavus roared out of the gates following halftime and went on a 26-5 run during the first eight and a half minutes of the second half to take a 58-29 lead with 11:29 remaining. The Gusties did not let up throughout the half and when the final buzzer sounded, had secured a 67-47 win.
Kruize led Gustavus on the day and posted the team’s first double-double this season with a 10 point, 10 rebound effort. Sergio Najera (Jr., New Prague, Minn.) again got off to a hot start and scored 11 of his 15 total points in the first half and finished 6-for-13 from the floor. Brody Ziegler (Jr., Mankato, Minn.) scored eight points on 3-of-6 shooting and grabbed six boards for the Gusties.
Saint Mary’s sophomore forward Wylie Ferron led all scorers with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and also added six rebounds. Sophomore guard Ronnie Ortiz was next in line for the Cardinals, scoring eight points on 3-of-7 shooting, including going 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Gustavus will play its next game against Concordia College on Wednesday in St. Peter. Due to the distance between Concordia and Gustavus, tip-off will change from its usual 7 p.m. time and will take place at 7:45 p.m.