(Photo courtesy of David Faulkner, SPX Sports.)
SAINT PETER, Minn. – The No. 23 Gustavus women’s basketball team will play host to Saint Benedict Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest. The Gusties enter the contest 14-3 overall and 10-2 in the MIAC, while the Bennies are 8-9 overall and 4-8 in the conference.
The Series: Wednesday’s contest marks the 79th all-time meeting between the two teams with Saint Benedict leading the series 49-29. The Gusties have won the past two meetings, most recently defeating the Bennies 67-57 on Dec. 11.
Scouting the Gusties: Gustavus comes into the contest winners of three straight, most recently defeating Macalester 82-65 on Saturday. Through 17 contests the Gusties average 73.6 points which ranks second in the MIAC while they allow 58.7 points which ranks third. The Black and Gold have been solid all year defensively, holding opponents to the lowest three-point field goal percentage (26.5) in the conference while their field goal percentage against (37.8) ranks third. Caitlin Rorman has led the Gusties thus far averaging 16.3 points per contest to go along with a team-high 6.8 rebounds. Ava Gonsorowski has starred at point guard, averaging 14.4 points to go along with a team-best 3.4 assists and 2.4 steals. Paige Richert also contributes double figures, averaging 10.7 points to go along with 5.5 rebounds.
Scouting the Bennies: Saint Benedict is most recently coming off of a 66-49 loss to Carleton Saturday. Through 17 games, they rank seventh in the MIAC in both scoring offense and defense, averaging 62.8 points per contest, while allowing 60.2. The Bennies have shown to be smart on the defensive end, ranking third in the league in blocks per game with 2.9, while committing the fewest fouls with 15.6. Megan Thompson and Sidney Schiffler lead Saint Ben’s thus far, averaging 11.7 and 10.1 points per game, respectively. Alex Johnson has led the Bennies in the post, scoring 8.5 points per game to go along with 8.3 rebounds.