The Gustavus women’s basketball team suffered a 70-58 loss to Wartburg College in the 2010 season opener on Monday night in Waverly, Iowa. Molly Geske led the Gusties in scoring with 21 points, going 6-for-14 from the field and 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. Geske also recorded team highs in both rebounds and assists with six and five, respectively. Warburg had three players with double figures as Abi Weidemann scored 17 points, Sam Harrington had 13, and Maddie Sadecky scored 10.
The Gusties jumped out to a 10-0 lead by the 17:14 mark of the first half, scoring on their first five possessions and forcing three Knight turnovers within the run. Wartburg responded with a 17-5 run to take a 17-15 lead with 12:46 to play in the opening half. The two teams traded leads until Wartburg capped the half with a 7-0 run to put them up 37-30 at the break.
Kelsey Florian was 4-for-5 from the field for eight points, while Geske was 4-for-7 for eight points in the frame. Wartburg’s Harrington led all scorers with 13 points (4-5), as the Knights shot 44.4% (12-27) from the field and 60% (6-10) from three-point range. Gustavus shot 58.3% (14-24) from the floor and 25% (1-4) from behind the arc.
The Knights got out to an 11-point lead (47-36) at the 17:28 mark on a layup by Katie Zitttergruen. The Gusties would battle back and cut the lead to four points (55-51) at the 6:20 mark following a pair of free throws by Eli Benz. Wartburg answered with a 12-4 run to open up a 12-point lead (67-55) with less than a minute to play.
Geske led the way with 13 second half points, going 2-for-7 from the field and 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. The Gusties were a cold 5-for-24 from the floor and 2-for-8 from three point range. Wartburg was 12-fo-25 from the field and 2-for-6 from three point range, as Abi Weidemann scored 11 points to lead the Knights.
In the game, Gustavus shot 39.6% (19-48) from the field and 25% (3-12) from behind the arc, while Wartburg shot 46.2% (24-52) from the field and 50% (8-16) from three-point range. Gustavus turned the ball over 20 times, while Wartburg recorded 19 turnovers. The Knights out-rebounded the Gusties 34-to-25. Geske was joined in double-digits by Ava Perry. Perry was 4-for-10 from the field for 11 points.
The Gustavus women’s basketball team will play in its first home contest of the season on Wednesday, Nov. 17 against UW-River Falls at 7:30 p.m. on Gus Young Court.