SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s basketball team will travel to No. 9 Bethel on Thursday for an MIAC semifinal matchup at 7 p.m. The Gustis enter the contest 18-8 overall while the Royals are 24-1.
Gusties in the Playoffs
Since the initiation of the six-team MIAC Tournament in the 2000-01 season, the Gusties have qualified for the playoffs every season. They are the only MIAC team who has qualified for every playoff, and they hold a record of 13-19 in their 20 appearances. Gustavus has yet to claim a MIAC playoff title, but has earned seven trips to the NCAA tournament, most recently in 2017-18 when it advanced to the Sweet 16.
This Year’s Matchups
Jan. 11 at Bethel – After the Gusties took an early lead in the first contest, Bethel used a big second and third quarter to take the game. The Royals outscored Gustavus 41-25 in the middle two frames en rout to a 74-58 victory. Taite Anderson led all players with 25 points for the Royals while Caitlin Rorman paced the Gusties with 18. The Gusties struggled with ball control in the contest, dishing out nine assists while coughing up 23 turnovers.
Feb. 15 at Gustavus – The two teams played a much closer matchup in Saint Peter late in the regular season. After playing to a 15-15 tie after one quarter, Bethel would lead by as much as seven in the second quarter before Gustavus closed the half on a 7-1 run to cut the deficit to 36-33 at the half. Bethel would use a 12-2 run in the middle of the third quarter to take a lead the Gusties couldn’t overcome as the Royals would lead by double-digits for nearly all of the fourth quarter. Anderson topped her performance from game one with 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting in the second game, while Ava Gonsorowski led the Gusties with 18 points. Bethel caused the Black and Gold to turn the ball over a season-most 29 times in the contest while committing just 13 turnovers of its own.
Scouting the Gusties
Gustavus enters the contest following its 84-76 win in the MIAC quarterfinals over Hamline Tuesday. Through 26 games the Gusties average 73.2 points per game while allowing 62.0, marks which rank third and sixth in the conference, respectively. They are led by Caitlin Rorman’s 16.6 points per game, while Ava Gonsorowski adds 12.9. Rorman also ranks second in the MIAC in field goal percentage with a mark of 60.9, while Gonsorowski is fourth in the league with 3.4 assists per contest. Anna Sanders has seen her role increase of late, averaging 14.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists over the last seven contests, all while connecting on 52.9 percent of shots. Gabby Bowlin also returned to the lineup for the Gusties Tuesday following an injury. In the 12 contests Bowlin has played this year, the Black and Gold have allowed more than 60 points just three times, while in the 14 she has not opponents have broken the 60-mark 13 times.
Scouting the Royals
Bethel comes into the matchup most recently defeating Saint Benedcit 79-53 Saturday. Following its lone loss on Feb. 8 to Saint Mary’s, the Royals have been on a mission, defeating the No. 2, 3, and 4, seeds in the MIAC tournament by a combined 45 points before their big win over the Bennies. Bethel has been dominant through 25 games, ranking first in the MIAC in scoring with an average of 75.5 points per contest, while the allow the second fewest with a mark of 54.8. Taite Anderson has been one of the most productive players in the country, leading the MIAC with 21.3 points per game, while shooting 64.9 percent which ranks third in the nation. Makenna Pearson follows Anderson with 10.1 points per contest thanks largely in part to connecting on 51-of-122 shots from behind the arc. Haylee Barker point guards Bethel, averaging 9.6 points to go along with an MIAC-best 4.0 assists and 3.8 steals.