ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s basketball team returns home Saturday for a conference matchup against Concordia College. Tipoff is 3 p.m. at Gus Young Court as the Gusties enter the game 10-2 overall and 4-1 in the MIAC, while the Cobbers are 5-6 overall and 2-2 in the league.
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Fans can also listen to the game on AM 860 KNUJ with the voice of the Golden Gusties, Tom Wheeler, on the call.
The Series: Saturday’s game marks the 78th meeting between Gustavus and Concordia in women’s basketball. The Cobbers lead the all-time series 54-23, but the Gusties have claimed the last three meetings. Concordia last defeated Gustavus on Feb. 11, 2015. Last season the Gusties trailed the Cobbers at halftime before posting a 22-11 run to start the second half, leading to a 61-59 victory. Mikayla Miller led the Black and Gold with 24 points, going 8-for-15 from the field and 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. Miranda Rice was also in double figures with 12 points, going 5-for-7 from the field.
Scouting the Cobbers: Concordia enters Saturday’s contest on a three-game losing streak, most recently falling 66-47 to Saint Benedict on Wednesday. The Cobbers’ last win was on Dec. 9 as they defeated Augsburg 51-43. After 11 games this season, Grace Wolhowe and Jamie Mentzer lead the offense with 10.6 and 10.2 points per game, respectively. Mentzer is also a defensive force with a team-high 17 steals. Kirstin Simmons leads the team on the low blocks with 5.7 rebounds per game. As a team, the Cobbers average 59.3 points per game and shoot 41 percent from the floor.
Top 5 in the MIAC: Miranda Rice and Mikayla Miller both average 16.5 points per game, which ranks fourth in the MIAC. Miller leads the league with 27 steals, while Rice is fifth in the league with a 53.8 field goal percentage.
Best in the field: Gustavus is shooting 45.9 percent from the field, which ranks ninth out of 450 NCAA Division III teams. The Gusties also do a great job in the take-give category, ranking 11th in the country with a +9.7 turnover margin.
Home sweet home: Gustavus has enjoyed a great deal of success when playing at Gus Young Court. Throughout the past four seasons, the Gusties are 39-7, including a 19-2 mark this season and last.