ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The No. 25 Gustavus women’s basketball team traveled to St. Joseph Wednesday and defeated Saint Benedict 67-57. With the win, the Gusties improve to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the MIAC while the Bennies fall to 6-2 and 2-2 in the conference.
“It was a great road win for us,” said Head Coach Laurie Kelly. “It was definitely a game of runs and I thought Paige was a huge factor for us in the first half. We played well defensively before half but had a lot of turnovers, and I felt like we adjusted in the second half. Marisa had a great game and Alison off the bench was huge, and to have four players in double figures was key to our win. We had a lot of turnovers but the constant for us was our defense throughout the game, as our guards and posts were able to hold their top two scorers down.”
The game got off to a slow start, with neither team gaining any steam early, combing for just 14 first quarter points as the Gusties lead 8-6 after one quarter.
In the second quarter, the Gustavus offense picked up, but the Bennies matched it and then some. After the Gusties slowly built their lead to 18-13 with 4:33 remaining in the half, Saint Ben’s offense went into full swing, outscoring Gustavus 12-4 in the last four to take a 25-22 lead into the half.
The Gusties opened the second half with an 15-2 run, getting seven points from Caitlin Rorman (Fy., Blue Earth) and six from Anna Sanders (Fy., Vadnais Heights) to take a 37-27 lead. Saint Ben’s would answer, scoring 14 of the next 17 points to retake the lead at 41-40, but an Alison Hinck (Jr., Vadnais Heights) three-pointer would give the Gusties a lead they wouldn’t relinquish
After carrying a 47-42 lead into the fourth quarter, Marisa Gustafson (Jr., Mahtomedi) would score 11 of the first 13 Gustavus points, pushing the Black and Gold to a 60-51 lead following her second three pointer of the frame. The Bennies would respond with a bucket to pull it within seven, but Gustavus would close out the game late, making free throws and limiting turnovers to take the 67-57 victory.
Gustafson led all scorers with 19 points and five rebounds while Paige Richert (Jr., Comfrey) added 14 points and game-high nine boards. Rorman and Hinck each also finished in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Gustavus shot 47.3 percent in the contest while they kept up their stout defensive ways, limiting the Bennies to just 32.7 percent from the field.
“This was a long stretch on the road for us and we’re excited to get back home and head into break with a home game Saturday,” said Kelly.
The Gusties will next be in action Saturday as they host Concordia for a 3 p.m. contest.