ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s basketball team was unable to upend league champion St. Thomas Saturday in the MIAC playoff title game, losing 62-56. The Gusties led after the first quarter, but seven unanswered points in the second quarter gave the Tommies the advantage for good as they secured an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Gustavus will wait to see if it receives an at-large bid when the NCAA announces the championship field Monday afternoon.
“I’m proud of the fact that we made it to the championship game for the second year in a row,” Head Coach Laurie Kelly said. “It was a battle to the end but they just made more shots than we did.”
After trading a couple buckets to start the game, Gustavus took a 4-2 lead and held the advantage for the rest of the first quarter, carrying a 13-11 lead into the second frame. The game tilted in favor of the Tommies early in the second quarter as they went on a 13-5 run and maintained the lead for the rest of the game. Gustavus brought the score down to a two-point difference twice in the third quarter, but was never able to take back control.
The Gusties shot 32.2 percent from the floor (19-59) and the Tommies shot 44 percent (22-50). Gustavus controlled the glass, out-rebounding the Tommies 42-27, but committed more turnovers, 15-11.
Four Gusties reached double figure scoring, led by Miranda Rice’s (Sr., Forest Lake, Minn.) 13 points. Rice played in her 109th career game, setting a new program record. Kendall Thompson (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Taylor Anderson (Jr., Rogers, Minn.) and Ava Gonsorowski (Fy., Esko, Minn.) added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
For now, Gustavus ends its season 22-6 overall, marking the third consecutive 20-win season. The Gusties will find out Monday afternoon if their season will continue with an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships.