SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s basketball team opened its season in impressive fashion Saturday, defeating Luther 84-53. The Gusties move to 1-0 with the win while Luther falls to 0-3.
“It was a great first game for us,” said Head Coach Laurie Kelly. “We came out of the gates strong in the first half and were able to score consistently and play solid defensively. We were able to play 11-deep and put a handful of different lineups together. One of the highlights for us was the play of our first-years, who contributed in a big way.”
The first quarter took some time for Gustavus to find their footing, although they controlled a 15-10 lead at the end of one quarter. They quickly turned that around though in the second when they took control of the game with a balanced offensive attack paired with stout defense. The Gusties pressured the Norse early in the second, scoring 18 of the first 19 points of the second frame to control a 33-13 lead, with the Gusties notching five turnovers in that stretch. Luther would find a few buckets late, but the Gusties would match them and a take a 40-18 lead into the break.
Gustavus didn’t shoot the ball great in the first half, going 13-of-35 from the field and 2-of-8 from behind the arc, but their defense forced Luther to go 7-for-30 from the field and 2-of-15 from downtown.
Luther responded in the third quarter, seeming to find their rhythm. After a Gustavus basket to start the second half, the Norse went on a 15-6 run to trim the Gustavus lead to 15. The Gusties would outscore Luther 9-8 the rest of the frame, but Luther had pulled themselves within striking distance headed to the fourth.
After the teams played back and forth early in the fourth, Gustavus found their stride. With the lead at 16 with 8:45 remaining, the Gusties went on a 10-2 run over the next 4:32 of game time to hold a 73-49 lead with 4:13 to play. After a pair of Luther baskets, the Gusties closed out the last 2:36 outscoring the Norse 11-0 for the 84-53 win.
Caitlin Rorman (Fy., Blue Earth) impressed in her collegiate debut, notching 15 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. Anna Sanders (Fy., Vadnais Heights) added 10 points on three of five shooting, while Maddy Rice (Jr., Forest Lake) and Marisa Gustafson (Jr., Mahtomedi) each added nine. Ava Gonsorowski (Jr., Esko) had an all-around sollid day at the point for the Gusties, notching eight points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
“In the third quarter they made a run but our girls responded well and came back out in the fourth and played Gustavus basketball,” stated Kelly. “All around I just thought we played really well.”
The Gusties are next in action Tuesday when they head to Martin Luther for a 7 p.m. contest.