SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s basketball team watched a 23-point lead slowly dwindle down to three points Wednesday night, but fended off a late push by St. Scholastica for an 81-75 win at Gus Young Court. The Gusties improve to 6-8 overall and 6-3 in the MIAC, while the Saints drop to 3-10 overall and 2-6 in the league.
Jordan Schommer (Sr., Merrifield), who finished the game with 15 points, started the game with a three-pointer in the first 15 seconds and the Gusties held the lead the rest of the way. The Gusties scored 13 straight points for a 22-6 advantage, their largest of the first half, and carried a 42-30 lead into halftime.
Gustavus slowly added to its lead to start the second half, going up 70-47 with 7:19 left in the game for its largest lead of the night. The Saints did not go quietly, though, and responded with a 28-8 run to cut the lead down to three with 46 seconds remaining. After a timeout, Schommer hit a jumper in the paint and was fouled, completed the three-point play, and the Gusties avoided the improbable comeback by the Saints.
Evan Wieker (Jr., St. Michael) and Spencer Swanson (So., Waconia) led the Gusties with 18 points apiece while the team shot 51.7 percent from the floor. The Saints out-rebounded the Gusties 33-30 but committed five more turnovers than the home team.
Gustavus has Saturday off and returns to the court Monday night at Hamline.