ST. PETER, MINN. – Following a 69-59 victory over Saint John’s University this past Saturday, the Gustavus Adolphus men’s basketball team will close out a three-game home stand with a matchup against MIAC foe Macalester College on Monday evening. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on Gus Young Court. Gustavus will enter the contest at 5-3 in the MIAC and 9-4 overall, while Maclester comes to town at 1-7 in the MIAC and 4-9 overall.
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QUICK REWIND
Coming off two games where it held its opponents to 40-percent shooting or worse, Gustavus was able to do the same for the third game in a row in a 69-59 victory over Saint John’s on Saturday. The Gusties were able to limit the Johnnies to 36.1-percent shooting on the afternoon and received 21 points from junior guard Gary Cooper (Detroit, Mich.) to pick up the 10-point win. The Gusties led 33-26 at the half, but two quick Johnnie three-pointers at the beginning of the second half allowed Saint John’s to see light again and the Gustavus lead was down to three (35-32). However, despite coming into the game as one of the MIAC’s top three-point shooting teams, those would be the only shots from beyond the arc that the Johnnies would have all afternoon, as the Gustie defense only allowed Saint John’s to go 2-for-13 from long range (15.4-percent). The Gusties continued to gradually build their lead as the game wound down and never let their lead dip below six after the 8:10 mark in the second half. With 2:28 remaining, Gustavus led 62-51 and would finish the game 5-of-6 from the free-throw line to secure the 69-59 victory.
Macalester last played on Saturday as well and secured a 73-59 victory over Saint Mary’s University. The Scots shot 66.7 percent from the field in the second half and led for the game’s final 25 minutes to post their first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win of the season. Macalester trailed much of the game early on and found themselves down eight (20-12) 8:47 into the game before a 13-4 run, led by Dylan Kilgour, who scored four points and had a pair of assists during the run, put Macalester back in front. Macalester put the game away in the middle of the second half when it went on a 13-2 run, led by Kilgour and Kareem Ismail, who each scored five points, to help the Scots take their largest lead of the game at 64-45 and eventually secure the 14-point win.
ABOUT THE SCOTS
Macalester is led by Ismail, a 6’5 sophomore, who is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder with 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. The Gusties will have to stop him and Kilgour, a 6’0 junior, who averages 11.5 points per game if they want to add to their winning ways.
With a 1-7 conference record, the Scots have struggled to this point in the MIAC, but did secure their first conference victory on Saturday over Saint Mary’s to boost their overall record to 4-9.
Macalester is last in the league in scoring with 55.9 points per game and is eighth in points allowed with 65.8. However, the Scots did score a season-high 73 points in their Saturday victory and have won two of their past three to build momentum coming into tonight’s contest.
SERIES SNAPSHOT
Monday’s contest marks the 152nd meeting between Gustavus and Macalester in men’s basketball. The Gusties hold the advantage in the all-time series with a record of 99-52 and will look for their 100th victory over the Scots in tonight’s game. Gustavus has also won each of the last six contests, including a series sweep of Macalester last season, a 75-52 result in St. Paul on Jan. 6, 2014 and a 64-54 victory on Feb. 5, 2014 in St. Peter.