MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s basketball team began the game on a 17-0 run to jumpstart a 50-point first half, leading to a 73-51 win at Augsburg College Wednesday evening.
The Gusties remain undefeated and push their overall record to 12-0 (5-0 MIAC), while Augsburg falls to 8-4 (1-4 MIAC). Gustavus is one win away from tying a program best start of 13-0, set by the 2002-03 Gustie squad.
After one quarter of play, the Gusties held a commanding 33-5 lead, shooting an impressive 14-20 (70%) from the field. Miranda Rice (Jr., Forest Lake, Minn.) went five-for-five from the field, recording 11 points.
Four Gustavus starters registered double-digit points, led by captain Hannah Howard (Sr., St. Paul, Minn.). Howard scored a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, season-highs in both mark. Rice tallied 16 points, Justine Lee (So., Dawson, Minn.) tied a season-high with 15, and Mikayla Miller (Jr., Goodhue, Minn.) added 13.
A layup from Howard around the halfway point of the second quarter gave the Gusties their largest lead of the game, leading 46-11. In the first half, Gustavus outrebounded Augsburg by a mark of 30-11 and outscored the Auggies in the paint, 32-8. The Gusties took a 50-20 lead into the locker room at halftime.
“It was a great game, we set the tone is the first quarter and we were able to keep a significant lead for the remainder of the game,” said Head Coach Laurie Kelly. “The first quarter was the best quarter this team has played on both offense and defense. Our distribution of the ball was so good tonight. The rebounding was so strong for us in the first half. Our goal is to do that more consistently.”
In the second half, the Gusties shooting stride wasn’t as consistent as they shot 28.1 percent from the field after shooting 48.7 percent in the first two quarters. However, they were able to maintain at least a 22-point lead throughout the remaining two quarters of play. As a team, Gustavus tallied a season-high 46 rebounds as well as 26 assists. The Gusties outrebounded the Auggies 46-21 and led in second chance points, 22-6.
“I think it’s hard sometimes to play with that big of a lead,” Kelly commented. “It felt like we kind of took our foot off the gas. We got sloppy with the ball a little bit in the second half. It was fun because we got to see a lot of players. It is always fun in conference play to get a chance to get a lot of players some game minutes.”
The Black and Gold next hosts the College of Saint Benedict Saturday afternoon. Tip off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Gus Young Court.