Miranda Rice goes up for a jumper over a Carleton defender in the Gusties’ 67-32 victory. (Photo courtesy of Caleb Williams, D3Photography.com)
Gustavus 67, Carleton 32 (Box)
NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College women’s basketball team earned its third straight victory when it rolled to a 67-32 win over Carleton College on Saturday afternoon at West Gym. The win pushes the Gusties to 11-4 overall and 6-2 in the MIAC, while Carleton falls to 4-11 overall and 1-7 in the conference.
“We were able to establish ourselves right away in the first quarter which was important after starting off cold the past few games,” said Coach Laurie Kelly. “Our goal was to start strong and win each quarter. We were able to hit shots in the first quarter due to their two-three zone, especially from deep, as we were 4-of-7 from three. This forced them out of their zone and into a man-to-man.”
Gustavus indeed got off to a quick start, as it began the game on a 13-0 run and eventually concluded the first quarter with a 20-4 lead. Carleton managed to come back slightly in the second quarter, but Gustavus brought its lead to 29-10 midway through and went into halftime up 13 at 34-20.
“In the second quarter we struggled, especially defensively,” said Kelly. “We took our foot off the gas pedal, lost opportunities to score in transition, and Carleton hung in there and made some tough shots. Going into halftime, we were able to refocus and played really well in the second half.”
The second half proved to be much the same, as the Gustie lead never dipped below 14 in the third quarter and 25 in the fourth.
“It was nice to get everyone into the game and we had 10 different players score,” said Kelly. “Overall, we did a lot of really nice things and our team needed this…each game is so important, especially when you’re on the road in the MIAC.”
Overall, Gustavus shot 46.2 percent from the floor and 40 percent from floor. Justine Lee (Fy., Dawson, Minn.) led the team in scoring with 12 on 4-of-6 shooting, including going 3-for-3 from long range, and Kelsey Carpenter (Jr., St. Peter, Minn.) was right behind her with 11 on 4-of-7 shooting, including a 2-for-3 mark behind the arc.
The Gusties out-rebounded the Knights 34-22 and were again strong on the offensive boards, grabbing 12. Carleton also had 26 turnovers compared to Gustavus’ 15.
“It feels good to get a win like this,” said Kelly. “We feel good about where we were at today, so we’ll enjoy and then come back and get ready for another busy week.”
Gustavus returns home on Wednesday when it takes on the College of Saint Benedict at 7 p.m. on Gus Young Court.