ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s basketball team Monday suffered a 77-60 setback at Hamline University, falling to 3-12 overall and 3-7 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while the Pipers improve to 10-4 overall and 7-2 in the league.
Kelsey Thomas (Jr., Wiesbaden, Germany) was the bright spot for the Gusties, scoring a career-high 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the field, including 4-of-5 from the free throw line, while also hauling in a team-best six rebounds. The Gusties have now had someone score at least 26 points in their last three games. Peter Kruize (Sr., St. Peter, Minn.) added nine points off the bench.
Hamline ended a nine-game losing streak against the Gusties dating back to 2011 after shooting 50.9 percent (29-57) from the floor and 44.4 percent (8-18) from three-point range. Gustavus shot 44.2 percent (23-52) and made just two from beyond the arc. The Pipers took advantage of 18 Gustie turnovers, scoring 23 points after the takeaway. The Black and Gold won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding the Pipers 34-30. Both teams had 36 points in the paint.
The home team scored the first points of the game and never trailed the rest of the way. The Gusties tied the game 7-7 five minutes into the contest, but a 14-3 run over the next four minutes led to a 36-25 advantage at halftime. The Pipers continued to increase their lead in the second half and led by as much as 27 points with 5:13 left to play.
Gustavus now takes a four-day rest before hosting Macalester (5-9, 1-8 MIAC) at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Gusties won game one of the regular season series 83-68 on Dec. 3.