Gustavus at Concordia
Date: Monday, Feb. 5
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Moorhead, Minn. | Memorial Auditorium
Live Coverage: Stats | Video
ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s basketball team is set to wrap its its regular season road schedule with Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup Monday evening, traveling to Moorhead, Minn. to take on Concordia College, in search of a series sweep. The Gusties (10-11, 8-8 MIAC) and the Cobbers (5-15, 3-12 MIAC) are set to tipoff at 7 p.m. from Memorial Auditorium.
The Series
Monday’s game marks the 182nd meeting between Gustavus and Concordia on the hardwood, with the Gusties holding a 115-66 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams previously met at Gus Young Court Jan. 6, with Gustavus prevailing with a 62-52 victory.
Last Time Out
The Gusties suffered a fourth-straight conference road loss Saturday afternoon in St. Paul, Minn., blowing a 15-point lead during an 85-74 loss at Hamline University. Gustavus shot 50 percent from the field, converting 12-of-24 field goals compared to a 40.6 percent mark (13-32) from the home team. The Gusties maintained a lead for the majority of the first half until the Pipers claimed a lead late in the first half and to a 33-31 lead into the intermission. Hamline countered to change the story in the opening minutes of the second half, claiming an 11-point lead off five consecutive field goals, owning a 46-35 advantage through the first three minutes. The Pipers shot 49.3 percent from the field while the Gusties went 30-55 for a 54.5 percent mark.
Four of five Gustie starters totaled double figures in scoring, with Vannis Smith (So., Crystal Lake, Ill.) leading the way, tying a career-high with 17 points off 6-16 shooting including a 3-7 mark from long-range. Kelsey Thomas (Sr., Wiesbaden, Germany) tallied 12 points while Sharbono and Jason Faul (Sr., Prior Lake, Minn.) each added 10. Sharbono led Gustavus with a career-high nine rebounds.
Scouting the Cobbers
Concordia snapped a five-game losing skid last Saturday with a 100-81 win versus Macalester prior to dropping two games last week at Saint John’s and against Augsburg, most recently losing 70-55 versus the Auggies on Saturday. The Cobbers rank just ahead of the Gusties in the conference with an average of 67.6 points per game, and rank below Gustavus with 78.3 points against per game. Junior guard Collin Larson leads the Cobber offense with 11.9 points per game, while ranking second in the MIAC with a 51.2 (43-84) three-point field goal percentage.
Gustavus Notables
- The Gusties matched their win total from last season with the Dec. 6 victory at Augsburg.
- The current four-game losing skid is the longest of the season. Gustavus snapped a three-game losing streak in early January with a win over Concordia.
- Vannis Smith tied a career-high with 17 points along with a career-high 32 minutes at Hamline, while Riley Sharbono grabbed a career-high nine rebounds.
- Sharbono ranks second in the conference with a 75-for-90 clip from the free throw line.
- Gustavus owns an 8-1 record when Sharbono sinks at least four free throws. Conversely, the Gusties are 2-10 when Sharbono makes less than four chances at the charity stripe.