Gustavus vs. Bethel
Date: Saturday, Feb. 10
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: St. Peter, Minn. | Gus Young Court
Live Coverage: Stats | Video
ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s basketball team continues its home stretch Saturday afternoon, hosting a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup against Bethel University, in search of a series split. The Gusties (12-11, 10-8 MIAC) and the Royals (16-6, 11-6 MIAC) are set to tipoff at 1 p.m. from Gus Young Court.
The Series
Saturday’s game marks the 88th meeting between Gustavus and Bethel on the hardwood, with the Gusties holding a 59-28 advantage in the alltime series. The two teams previously met Jan. 13 in Arden Hills, Minn., as a Gustavus comeback bid fell short during a 72-62 Bethel victory.
Last Time Out
The Gusties opened a three game home stand Wednesday evening at Gus Young Court, breaking triple digits during its highest offensive output of the season, defeating Macalester College 103-59 for its second consecutive conference victory.
Gustavus shot 55.1 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from beyond the arc while recording a season-high 38 field goals and 14 three-point field goals. The home team also held a 46-22 advantage in points in the paint and scored 32 points off of Macalester turnovers. Riley Sharbono (Jr., Marshall, Minn.) led the Black and Gold with 21 points off 8-13 shooting, while Kelsey Thomas (Sr., Wiesbaden, Germany) added 16 and Zach Bloemker (Fy., Marshall, Minn.) tallied 12. The Gusties had 12 players see time off the bench, combining for 50 points.
Scouting the Royals
Since Bethel faced Gustavus on Jan. 13, it has gone 5-3, most recently earning a second consecutive victory Wednesday evening with a 62-54 win over Hamline University. The Royals rank second in the MIAC in a couple offensive categories, averaging 78.9 points per game along with a 50.0 field goal percentage. Defensively, Bethel ranks first with a 31.1 percent three-point field goal defense. Sophomore guard Granger Kingland guides the Royal offense with 13.9 points per game while ranking third in the MIAC with a 48.7 threepoint field goal percentage, converting 55 of 113 attempts. Junior center Derek Magnuson leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per game and owns a team-best 65.6 field goal percentage (4th/MIAC), going 99-151 from the field.
Gustavus Notables
- The Gusties matched their win total from last season with the Dec. 6 victory at Augsburg.
- Gustavus snapped its longest losing skid of the season at Concordia on Monday.
- Sharbono’s buzzer-beater at Concordia marked the first time Gustavus won a game on a last second shot since Jordan Dick made a free throw with 2.3 seconds to defeat Saint John’s 65-64 Feb. 26, 2014.
- Sharbono ranks third in the conference with a 75- for-91 clip from the free throw line. Gustavus owns an 8-1 record when Sharbono sinks at least four free throws. Conversely, the Gusties are 4-10 when Sharbono makes less than four chances at the charity stripe.
- The Gusties’ 17 steals versus Macalester was a season-high and marked the most since Gustavus tallied 16 against Macalester in 2009.
- Gustavus forced 27 turnovers versus Macalester, matching a total from a matchup vs. Bethany Lutheran in 2014.
- Wednesday’s 56-13 lead at halftime versus Macalester marked the first time Gustavus held an opponent to less than 15 points in a half since 2014.
- The season-high 103 points versus Macalester was the first time Gustavus broke triple digits since a 101, 91 overtime victory over Hamline Feb. 13, 2016.
- Bobby Brooks (Jr., Norwell, Mass.), Isaac Douglas (Fy., Montevideo, Minn.), and Logan Rezac (Fy., Andover, Minn.) all scored their first collegiate points during Wednesday’s win over Macalester.