ST. PETER, Minn. – For the third-straight game, the Gustavus women’s basketball team was able to erase a first quarter deficit and proceed to a convincing win, this time 78-56 over Augsburg on Wednesday. The No. 12-ranked Gusties stay perfect with the win, moving to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the MIAC, while the Auggies drop to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in the league.
“Two seniors who are key to our offense didn’t score in the first quarter and we’ve not come out in the first quarter this season, which is a characteristic that we are going to try and fix,” Head Coach Laure Kelly said. “We found our groove in the second quarter and that’s some of the best basketball we’ve played all year. Augsburg is a quality team and they are going to upset some teams in our league so this is a great win for us.”
After trailing 25-19 in the first three minutes of the second quarter, Gustavus responded with a 20-3 run to close out the half and led 39-28 at the break. The Gusties slowly added to their lead throughout the second half and never allowed the Auggies to come within striking distance.
The Black and Gold did most of its damage from close range, outscoring the Auggies 50-20 in points in the paint. The Gusties shot 54.1 percent from the field, including 61.5 percent in the second half, and edged the rebounding margin 33-32.
Four Gusties reached double figures, led by Mikayla Miller’s (Sr., Goodhue, Minn.) 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the floor. She also added seven assists. Miranda Rice (Sr., Forest Lake Minn.) tallied 18 points, Justine Lee (Jr., Dawson, Minn.) had 14, and Kendall Thompson (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) added 10. Thompson led the Gusties on the glass with six rebounds. Rice’s 18 points puts her at 997 career points, needing just three to become the 12th Gustavus women’s basketball player to record 1,000 points.
Gustavus continues its home stand at 3 p.m. Saturday against Hamline.