ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s basketball team looks to rebound after a tough loss Wednesday as it travels to St. Olaf for a 3 p.m. tipoff. The Gusties enter the conference matchup 14-4 overall and 8-3 in the MIAC, while the Oles are 3-15 overall and 1-10 in the league.
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The Series: Saturday’s game marks the 77th meeting between Gustavus and St. Olaf in women’s basketball with the Gusties leading the all-time series 52-24. The two teams met on Dec. 2 this season as the Gusties won convincingly 88-47 in St. Peter. Gustavus start the game slow with just 11 points in the first quarter, but was able to kick it in gear in the second and cruised to the 41-point victory.
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.
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.
Scouting the Oles: St. Olaf has struggled this season with just one conference win after 11 games in the league. The Oles are currently riding a four-game losing streak, most recently falling 68-55 against Saint Mary’s on Wednesday. St. Olaf’s last win came on Jan. 10 against Macalester, a slim 60-59 victory. After 18 games this season Makenna Ash leads the team averaging 10.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Samantha Tisa is close behind with 9.6 points per game. As a team, the Oles average 49.4 points and shoot 35 percent from the field.