ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s basketball was downed 61-54 Wednesday evening at the University of St. Thomas, ending the four-game winning streak to open Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.
The Gusties, now 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the MIAC, shot 21-51 from the field while the Tommies went 23-56 along with 10 three-point field goals.
St. Thomas claimed an 11-4 lead through the first five minutes of the first half prior to Gustavus clawing its way back into the game. Two free throws made from Schuyler Thompson (Sr., Milville, Minn.) cut the deficit to 19-18 with seven minutes remaining. The Tommies closed out the half on an 11-4 run to own a 30-23 halftime advantage.
Both teams improved their shooting in the final 20 minutes, while the Gusties out-rebounded the home team by a margin of 16-15.
A St. Thomas three-pointer around five minutes into the second half pushed the Tommie lead into double figures, leading 37-27. They would extend the lead to 13 points, leading 42-29 at 13:33 before Gustavus showed some pushback. Jason Faul (Sr., Prior Lake, Minn.) got the Gusties within five points, trailing 46-41 with 9:57 remaining. However, St. Thomas maintained at least a seven-point lead throughout and closed out the game on an 11-5 run in the final three minutes.
Faul led the Black and Gold with 15 points, going 7-12 from the field while adding a team-high seven rebounds. Riley Sharbono (Jr., Marshall, Minn.) followed with 12 points, his ninth-straight game with double figures.
The Gusties are set to take a two-week break before returning to action at Gus Young Court Saturday, Dec. 30, hosting the University of Minnesota-Morris.