WINONA, Minn. – Another second half comeback by the Gustavus men’s basketball team fell short Saturday in a 75-73 loss at Saint Mary’s. The defeat drops the Gusties to 2-4 overall and 2-2 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while the Cardinals improve to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the league.
“We battled back and put ourselves in a position to make a few plays, but we made one too few,” Head Coach Mark Hanson said.
The loss snaps a 12-game winning streak over the Cardinals, dating back to 2010.
Gustavus trailed by 10 points with 3:45 left in the game and was able to fight all the way back to tie the score 73-73 on a three-pointer by Alec Koster (Sr., Redwood Falls, Minn.) with :22 seconds left. But on the ensuing possession, Koster was whistled for a foul, putting Wylie Ferron on the line where he sunk both shots to regain the lead with :06 seconds left. A last second shot by the Gusties was no good.
Saint Mary’s led by as much as 17 points in the first half, but the Gusties were able to battle back to make it a four-point game at halftime, 36-32. Gustavus was more efficient shooting from the floor, converting at 51.9 percent compared to 47.5 percent for the Cardinals.
One statistic that stood out to Coach Hanson was 16 offensive rebounds by Saint Mary’s, which led to 12 second chance points. The Cardinals also outscored the Gusties 28-14 with points in the paint.
Kelsey Thomas (Jr., Wiesbaden, Germany) led the Black and Gold with 14 points and seven rebounds. Koster added 12 points and four assists. In just four minutes off the bench, Schuyler Thompson (Jr., Milville, Minn.) went 4-for-4 from the field for a career-high nine points.
Gustavus returns home to Gus Young Court Tuesday for a 7 p.m. non-conference game against North Central.