ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s basketball team is back on the road Wednesday at it travels to Saint Benedict for a 7 p.m. tipoff. In a game with enormous MIAC playoff seeding implications, the Gusties enter the matchup two games behind the Blazers in the league standings. The Gusties are 19-4 overall and 13-3 in the MIAC, while the Blazers are 21-2 overall and 15-1 in the league.
LIVE STATS/WATCH LIVE | GAME NOTES
The Series: Wednesday’s game marks the 74th meeting between Gustavus and Saint Benedict with the Blazers holding a 47-26 advantage in the all-time series. The Gusties have won the past four meetings, most recently claiming a 61-56 victory on Feb. 11 last year. Mikayla Miller led the Gusties as the sole scorer in double-digits with 27 points as she shot 9-for-18 from the field, 3-for-8 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Gustavus shot a pedestrian 33.3 percent from the floor, while the Blazers shot 36.4 percent. A key difference was Gustavus making 24-of-30 free throws.
Last time out: The Gusties gained a 42-33 halftime lead and didn’t look back, defeating Bethel 77-60 for a series split on Saturday at Gus Young Court. Mikayla Miller led the Gusties with 24 points, shooting 6-14 from the field along with a season-high nine free throws, converting 9-9. Miranda Rice added 19 points from 7-19 shooting along with a team-high nine rebounds and Emee Udo tied a career-high with eight points. The Gusties shot 41.9 percent from the floor and made 19-of-20 free throws.
Scouting the Blazers: Saint Ben’s is riding a six-game win streak, most recently defeating Augsburg 74-58 on Saturday. Niki Fokken led the Blazers with 22 points and seven rebounds, and was later named MIAC Athlete of the Week. Fokken leads the team with 13.4 points per game and Chelsey Guetter averages a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game. Guetter is second in scoring with 9.7 points per game. As a team, the Blazers average 65.0 points per game and shoot 40.6 percent from the field. Their defense is arguably the second best in the league, allowing opponents 52.8 points (2nd/MIAC), 37.7 field goal percentage (2nd/MIAC), and 29.4 three-point percentage (3rd/MIAC).