SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s basketball team Saturday lost 83-71 at Northwestern-St. Paul. With the loss, the Gusties drop to 0-2 while the Eagles improve to 3-1.
The Northwestern-St. Paul offense proved to be the difference in the game, shooting 51.6 percent from the floor with four players in double figures. Turnovers were also a crucial factor in the game as the Gusties coughed up the ball twice as much (14-7) as the Eagles.
Northwestern started off strong, making seven of its first eight shots for a 15-4 lead just 4:34 into the game. The Eagles increased their lead to 26-10 with 7:34 left in the first half before the Gusties responded with 14 unanswered points over the next three minutes, making six out of seven shots and forcing three turnovers during that span, to cut the deficit to two at 26-24. But UNW came back with an 11-4 run to close out the half and took a 37-28 lead into the break.
Gustavus once again put together a run early in the second half, scoring nine straight points to cut the deficit to one at 39-38 at the 16:52 mark, but once again the Eagles did not concede their lead and fought back with an 11-2 run to regain an 11-point advantage with 14 minutes left in the game. The Gusties continued to battle but could only come within four points the rest of the game and the home squad slowly increased its lead to close out the game.
Logan Rezac (Jr., Andover) led all scorers with a career-high 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the floor, including four three-pointers. He posted a game-high 10 rebounds. Nolan Malo (So., Owatonna) tallied 19 points and seven boards. As a team, the Gusties shot 43.7 percent (31-71) from the floor and 24.1 percent (7-29) from beyond the arc.
Gustavus begins MIAC play next Saturday at home against Macalester. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m.