SAINT PETER, Minn.- The No. 23 Gustavus women’s basketball team will look to win their second straight game Wednesday when they host Hamline for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The Gusties enter the contest at 12-3 overall and 8-2 in the MIAC while the Pipers are 11-3 overall and 6-3 in conference.
The Series: Wednesday will be the 76th matchup between the Gusties and Pipers. Gustavus leads the all-time series 65-10 and are winners of seven straight, including a 76-57 victory earlier this season. Hamline’s last victory came on Jan. 31, 2015, when they topped the Gusties 82-79 in Saint Paul.
Scouting the Gusties: Gustavus is coming off a 75-64 victory over No. 15 Augsburg Sunday, their second win this season over a top-25 team. The Gusties remain second in the league with 72.9 points per game. Gustavus is lead in scoring by two-time MIAC player of the week Caitlin Rorman, who averages 16.3 points and tallied a career high 25 points Sunday. Rorman is also the team leader with 6.9 rebounds per game. Ava Gonsorowski has also been a staple atop the stat sheet, averaging 12.9 points to go along with a team high 3.6 assists per game. Paige Richert is another Gustie in double figures, as she averages 10.8 points per game and is second on the team with 5.3 rebounds.
Scouting the Pipers: Winners of seven straight contests, Hamline is off to their best start to a season in five years as they sit at 11-3 coming into Wednesday’s match-up. The Pipers have proven to value their possessions, as they have the second lowest amount of turnovers in the MIAC with 15.1 per game. Another area where Hamline succeeds is on the boards, collecting 36.6 rebounds per game, which is third best in the conference. Reily Geistfeld leads her team in points with 14.6 per game, and sits atop the MIAC with 10.6 rebounds per game. Lydia Lecher is second on the team with 13.4 points per game, thanks in large part to her 42.9 three-point field goal percentage.