ST. PETER, Minn. – After starting slow for the second consecutive game Saturday with just 11 points in the first quarter, the Gustavus women’s basketball team was able to kick it in gear during the second quarter and cruised to an 88-47 win over St. Olaf. The No. 12-ranked Gusties, who were able to play all 17 members on the roster, improve to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the MIAC, while St. Olaf drops to 2-6 overall and 0-1 in the league.
“We’ve been struggling coming out of the gates, but the second quarter really made up for that,” Head Coach Laurie Kelly said. “Any time you get the opportunity to get everyone in the game, it’s fun to see those freshmen play and get better.”
St. Olaf started the game on the right foot, leading 10-7 eight minutes into the first quarter before Gustavus scored a couple buckets to take an 11-10 lead at the end of the first. The Oles regained the lead to start the second quarter and tied the score twice more, but the Gusties followed with a 26-3 run to close out the half and took a 45-22 advantage into the locker room. The Black and Gold continued to add to its lead throughout the second half while forcing a total of 34 turnovers in the game. The Gusties also won the battle of the boards 41-26.
“Overall it was a really good game for us,” Kelly said. “Our focus again was rebounding and we won on the glass. Their best player had no points and one rebound at half, so I couldn’t ask for better defense from the team. I thought our full court pressure was key for us. You’re going to win a lot of games with 34 turnovers in a game.”
Mikayla Miller (Sr., Goodhue, Minn.) led all scorers with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor and added five steals. Justine Lee (Jr., Dawson, Minn.) added 14 points off the bench.
Gustavus next hosts Augsburg at 7 p.m. Wednesday.