ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s basketball team earned its third consecutive victory Saturday afternoon at Gus Young Court, outplaying Concordia College in an 84-47 victory to improve to 11-2 overall and 5-1 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The Cobbers scored on their first six possessions of the game while claiming an 11-5 lead through the first four minutes of the game, but Gustavus roared back on a 23-9 run to gain a 28-20 lead after the first quarter, and didn’t look back.
“I was disappointed in the way that we came out,” said Head Coach Laurie Kelly. “That was something that we talked about before, we wanted to set the tone and to have an up-tempo and aggressive style. That is really triggered by our defense and that was nowhere to be found in the first four minutes of the game.”
Gustavus finished the first half shooting 20-for-35 (57.1) from the field and limited the Cobbers to just five points in the second quarter, taking a 49-25 lead into the intermission.
“Once we finally got back on track, I thought we did a nice job, particularly on the defensive end,” Kelly said. “We took good care of the ball and forcing turnovers was a key for us.”
The Gusties outscored the visitors 35-22 in the second half, eventually gaining their largest lead of the game at 7:48 of the fourth quarter, as two free throws from Gabby Bowlin (Fy., Winona, Minn.) gave Gustavus a 76-34 lead.
Miranda Rice (Sr., Forest Lake, Minn.) shot 9-14 from the field with a team-high 21 points. Mikayla Miller (Sr., Goodhue, Minn.) and Kendall Thompson (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) followed with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Gustavus forced 30 Cobber turnovers and owned a 48-22 advantage in points in the paint, while out-rebounding Concordia 38-32.
“Anytime you get a big lead and get opportunities to get all your kids on the floor is always a great opportunity. Rebounding was a focus coming in so to see us win the battle on the glass was good. Every conference game is important so I feel it was a good win for us today,” Kelly concluded.
The Black and Gold returns to action on Wednesday evening, staying at home for a conference matchup versus Saint Mary’s University.