ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The No. 17 Gustavus women’s basketball traveled to No. 23 Bethel on Saturday and suffered its first MIAC lost of the season 74-58. With the loss the Gusties fall to 11-2 overall and 7-1 in the MIAC, while the Royals improve to 13-0 overall and 8-0 in the conference.
The two teams got off to a fairly even start early in the first quarter. With the Gusties up 11-7, Bethel would go on a 11-2 run to end the quarter to take a 18-13 lead after one quarter.
The Royals started to take control of the contest in the second quarter. They would outscore the Gusties 23-13 in the frame, forcing seven Gustavus turnovers to hold a 41-26 edge heading into the half.
Bethel’s defense continued to hold the Gusties at bay in the third quarter, holding the visitors to 3-of-11 shooting from the field and limiting them to just 12 points. Meanwhile, the Bethel offense stayed consistent, going 7-for-16 in the quarter and scoring 18 points to take a 59-38 lead into the final quarter.
The Gusties would battle back in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 11 at 63-52, but the Royals would close the game out late and take the 74-58 victory.
Caitlin Rorman (Fy., Blue Earth) led Gustavus with 18 points, while Ava Gonsorowski (Jr., Esko) tallied 12 points and five steals. Maddy Rice (Fy., Forest Lake) came off the bench and also scored 12 points to go along with a team-high six rebounds.
The Gusties are next in action on Wednesday when they travel to Concordia for a 7:15 p.m. contest.