SAINT PETER, Minn. — Following their 97-point, record-setting MIAC semifinal victory, the Gusties are set to host Concordia for the MIAC Women’s Basketball Playoff Championship Sunday at 2 p.m. at Gus Young Court. The Cobbers will head south to Saint Peter to face the Gusties once again after defeating Hamline 74-67 on Friday night.
THE SERIES
Sunday’s championship will mark the 89th meeting between Gustavus and Concordia on the court, and the fifth playoff meeting between the two teams, with the Gusties holding the winning playoff record, 3-2. The two teams met in the playoffs last season, with the Gusties defeating the Cobbers 53-41 in the quarterfinal matchup.
Both teams split the two regular season match-ups, each winning on their own home court. In the first game between the two, the Cobbers pulled out a 64-63 win over the Gusties back in November. The one-point victory was the Gusties’ first loss of the season, and one of only two setbacks this year for the black and gold. The Cobbers held the Gustie offense to just 23 points in the first half, and held on through the second, despite being outscored 40-27 in the final two quarters. Concordia’s Emily Beseman and Makayla Anderson led their team’s scoring with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Three Gusties scored in double-digits, led by Emma Kniefel (Jr., Medford) who put up 13 points. Anna Sanders (Sr., Vadnais Heights) and Rachel Kawiecki (So., Richfield) each added 10 to the Gustie total.
The Gusties certainly got revenge in the rematch between the two teams, defeating the Cobbers 82-56. Beseman led the Cobbers once again, this time tallying 19 points against the Gusties. Kniefel certainly has the Cobbers number, scoring 14 points in the teams’ second match-up to lead the Gustie scorers. Kylie Baranick (So., Maple Grove) and Grace Benz (Sr., Steele, N.D.) each added 12, while Kawiecki rounded out the double-digit scoring at 10.
The Gusties, ranked No. 10 in the nation, added one more win to their streak Friday, and will enter the championship having won 16 straight.
SCOUTING THE GUSTIES
The Gusties set a new MIAC playoff record on Friday with 97 points against Saint Benedict. The Gusties put up 48 first-half points and 49 in the second half to break the existing MIAC record of 94 points, set in 2014 by Saint Mary’s. The total was the most the team had scored since the 2016-17 season. Five Gusties finished in double-digit scoring, led by Sanders with 22, tying her season-high from earlier in the year. Kniefel followed Sanders with 17, while Baranick and Kawiecki both picked up 12 and Riley Queensland (Jr., Grand Meadow) chipped in 11. Kawiecki led the game’s rebounding with eight, followed closely by Kniefel at seven. Baranick once again led the team in assists, posting seven on the night, while Kawiecki and Sanders added six of their own to the total.
SCOUTING THE COBBERS
Concordia entered MIAC post-season play as the No. 2 seed overall, earning a bye through the first round. The Cobbers hosted Hamline on Friday, defeating the No. 3 seed 74-67. Carlee Sieben led all scorers at 18 points, scoring five 3-pointers in the game. Sieben added seven rebounds to share the team-high with Mikayla Anderson. Three more Cobbers added double-digit totals, with Beseman at 15, Andereson at 13, and Symone Beld at 10. As a team, the Cobber offense is second in the conference only to the league-leading Gusties, averaging 70.7 points per game with an 11.9 average margin of victory, second only to the Gusties’ 24.8. Emily Beseman sits fifth in the conference in scoring with 388 points on the season for an average of 14.9 per game while teammate Anderson is third in the MIAC in rebounding, averaging 8.2 per game for 212 on the season.