Seniors Hannah Howard, Kelsey Carpenter, and Annie Odegard.
Gustavus vs. Carleton
Date: Saturday, February 18
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: St. Peter, Minn. | Gus Young Court
Live Coverage: Stats | Video
ST. PETER, Minn. – The No. 13/20-ranked Gustavus Adolphus College women’s basketball team closes out the regular season this afternoon, hosting Carleton College on senior day. The 23-1 (16-1 MIAC) Gusties are set to tip off against the 8-16 (6-11 MIAC) Knights at 1 p.m.
GUSTAVUS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PAGE | CARLETON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PAGE
Senior day: Seniors Kelsey Carpenter (St. Peter, Minn.), Hannah Howard (St. Paul, Minn.), and Annie Odegard (St. Paul, Minn.) will each be honored this afternoon at Gus Young Court.
Last time out: The Gusties most recently defeated St. Catherine Wednesday evening by a score of 84-65, led by a double-double performance of 18 rebounds and 19 points from team captain Hannah Howard. The win stood as the 23rd of the season, marking the second most wins in a season in program history.
In the polls: The Gusties moved up in the most recent Division III National rankings. In the D3hoops.com poll, Gustavus moved up from No. 16 to No. 13 and went from No. 21 to No. 20 WBCA Coaches Poll. In the regional rankings, the Gusties remain ranked No. 3 in the West.
Among the National Leaders: Out of 440 teams in NCAA Division III women’s basketball, Gustavus sits near the top in multiple statistical rankings. The 78-5 free throw percentage is second best in the nation, the 46.5 field goal percentage ranks third, the 95.8 winning percentage is tied for sixth best, and the 428 assists ranks ninth best. Miranda Rice (Jr., Forest Lake, Minn.) ranks eighth-best in the nation with a 59.1 field goal percentage. Mikayla Miller (Jr., Goodhue, Minn.) ranks among the top-50 in the country in assists, steals, and free throw percentage.
The Series: Saturday’s contest marks the 74th all-time meeting between Gustavus and Carleton with the Gusties holding a 51-22 record over the Knights. The teams previously met Jan. 14 in Northfield, Minn. with Gustavus prevailing by a score of 99-45.
Scouting the Knights: Carleton is currently on a two-game losing skid, most recently falling against St. Olaf by a score of 72-46. After falling to Gustavus mid-January, the Knights went on a five-game winning streak to post a record of 6-3 in the month of January. Since then, Carleton has gone 1-4 and has averaged 54.4 points per game in February. First-year Samantha Cooke leads the Knights in scoring, averaging 11.7 points per game. Sophomore Cece Leone ranks just below Cooke with 11.6 points per game while leading Carleton with an average of 30.4 minutes played per game.
Gustavus notables:
– Mikayla Miller continues to lead the Gusties, averaging 17.4 points per game – which ranks second highest in the MIAC. Miller leads the league with an 86.2 free throw percentage and 76 steals, 3.2 per game.
– Miranda Rice ranks third behind Miller in the MIAC, averaging 16.6 points per game. Rice also ranks second in the MIAC with in field goal percentage.
– Gustavus ranks first in the MIAC in points per game (76.2), field goal percentage (46.5), free throw percentage (78.5), assists per game (17.8), and steals per game (12.0).
– On Wednesday at St. Kate’s, Hannah Howard tied a career-high with 19 points and registered a season-high 18 rebounds to record her fourth double-double this season. She also accumulated a career-high nine free throws made, going 9-for-10 from the charity stripe.
– The Gusties are two wins away from tying a program record with 25 wins in a season.