ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s basketball team closed out its season with a valiant effort against No. 3-ranked Saint John’s University Wednesday evening at Gus Young Court while honoring its five seniors during a 78-73 loss.
Gustie seniors Jason Faul (Prior Lake, Minn.), Austin Goetz (Chaska, Minn.), Kelsey Thomas (Wiesbaden, Germany), Schuyler Thompson (Milville, Minn.), and Coleman Sweeney (Lake City, Minn.) were honored prior to the game for their commitment to the men’s basketball program with pride and class throughout their collegiate careers.
Knocked out of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs with a previous loss versus Bethel, the Black and Gold had nothing to lose, playing for pride in the final contest of the campaign. The Gusties more than doubled their win total from last year, finishing with a 12-13 overall record while going 10-10 in the MIAC.
Gustavus totaled 16 points off of Johnnie turnovers, outscored the visitors 26-16 in points in the paint, and had solid production from the bench with 43 points from non-starters.
The nation’s top-shooting team in Saint John’s shot 9-for-17 from beyond the arc in the first half, recording a 52.0 field goal percentage. The Gusties kept the game tight, however, forcing seven Johnnie turnovers with five steals. The first half saw seven lead changes throughout the first six minutes until a three-pointer from David Stokman gave the visitors a 13-11 advantage, then maintained the lead throughout the half and took a 42-35 lead into the intermission.
Trailing 50-39 through the first five minutes of the second half, the Gusties went on a 16-5 run and eventually tied the game with Brandon Snoberger (Jr., Rice, Minn.) three-pointer, knotting the score at 55-55 with 8:23 minute remaining in the game. Despite limiting Saint John’s to 34.6 percent shooting in the second half, the Johnnies held on to a slim lead for the final seven and a half minutes to secure the win.
Stokman paced the Johnnies with 22 points, going 4-8 from long-range and 8-8 from the charity stripe, while forward Lucas Walford led the Johnnies with a double-double performance of 16 points and 16 rebounds.
Riley Sharbono (Jr., Marshall, Minn.) led the Black and Gold with 17 points, followed by a career-high 15 points from Snoberger and 11 from Spencer Tollefson (Jr., New Richland, Minn.).