SAINT PETER, Minn. – Despite a neck and neck battle against a tough Saint John’s lineup, the Gustavus men’s basketball team was halted in a second-half defeat on Wednesday night where they took a 69-55 loss and move to 6-6 overall and 3-4 in the MIAC.
Pete Lundquist (Sr., Rochester) put the Gusties on the board for the opening five points before the Johnnies responded with a 10-5 lead. A Nolan Malo (Sr., Owatonna) three-pointer and a Spencer Swanson (Fy., Waconia) jump-shot tied the game back up 10-10 at the 15:11 mark.
Both sides went shot for shot and kept things interesting, as neither team was able to gain more than a two point edge for the remainder of the first half. Swanson led the pack with 12 points while Malo made seven rebounds.
The Gusties had a 13-3 advantage on bench points and put the pressure on the Johnnies, only trailing by a point in the 29-28 first half.
Looking to gain control early in the second, Kaleb Feahn (Sr., Waseca) and Lundquist combined for five points as the Gusties went on a 9-8 run for their highest lead of the night at 42-35 with 15 minutes remaining.
Saint John’s retaliated accordingly on the rebound, evening the score at 44-44 at 11:23. The Johnnies rattled out four unanswered points that proved to be the deciding factor before going on a 21-11 run, extinguishing the Gustie flame in the 69-55 loss.
The Johnnies took advantage of their opportunities on three-pointers, going 8 for 15 while Gustavus out-rebounded 33-28. Swanson recorded a team high 14 points and Malo posted his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Gusties are back in action facing their new conference competitor at St. Scholastica on Saturday afternoon with a 3:00 tip-off.