SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s basketball team starts conference play at 1 p.m. Saturday, playing host to Macalester at Gus Young Court. The Gusties enter the contest 0-2 overall while the Scots are 3-2.
The Series: Today’s game marks the 162nd meeting between Gustavus and Macalester on the hardwood with the Gusties leading the all-time series 107-54. Last season the Gusties swept the regular season series with an 87-50 win in Saint Paul on Dec. 5 followed by an 81-75 win on Jan. 16 in Saint Peter. Five Gusties reached double figures in the Jan. 16 victory, led by Riley Sharbono’s 19 points. Martem Morem (12), Spencer Tollefson (11), Logan Rezac (11), and Isaac Douglas (10) were the others in double-digit scoring.
Scouting the Gusties: Gustavus is off to a slow start after dropping its first two games by an average of 17.5 points. The Gusties are shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 29.2 percent from three-point range. They are out-rebounding opponents 34.5-32.0, but have a -8.0 turnover margin. Logan Rezac is the leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Rezac is also efficient from the floor, shooting 55.6 percent. Nolan Malo averages 13.0 points and 5.0 rebounds.
Scouting the Scots: After starting the season 1-2, Macalester has won its last two games, most recently defeating Crown College 92-85 on Thursday. The Scots average 77.0 points per game and shoot 46.1 percent from the floor. They are a strong rebounding team, out-boarding opponents by an average of 40.6-37.8. Jackson Henningfield is the player to watch as he averages 21.2 points per game, shooting 50.6 percent from the floor and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc. He is also second on the team with 8.6 rebounds per game. Gabriel Ramos (14.6), Eric Sathy (12.2), and Shane Anderson (12.0) also average double figure scoring. Anderson is also the team’s leading rebounder at 9.2 per game.