Spokane, WA – Gustavus Adolphus College tightened the defensive screws in the second half to pull out a 73-62 come-from-behind win over Whitman College in the first game of the Ramada Inn – Whitworth women’s basketball Classic on Monday night in the Whitworth College Fieldhouse.
The 11th-ranked Gusties (6-0) held the Missionaries (4-3) to only 24% shooting in the second period (7/29) and forced 11 second half turnovers. GAC also outrebounded Whitman 24-15 in the second half.
The Gusties took an early 18-9 lead on a pair of free throws from All-American Angie Peterson. But Whitman rallied to pull ahead on two free throws by Sarah Laird with just under nine minutes to play in the half. The teams traded leads until Whitman took a 37-35 advantage on another free throw by Laird. The Missionaries stretched the lead to 43-37 at halftime on a bucket by Liz Washburn.
Whitman took its biggest lead of the night (45-37) with a basket to open the second half, but then Gustavus began to peck away at the lead. Laura Haugen’s three-pointer with 11:23 to play gave
the Gusties the lead back (53-52). Her basket was part of 12-0 GAC run that turned a six point deficit into a six point lead (58-52) with 8:21 to go in the game. Whitman could not regain control.
Peterson finished with a game-high 29 points and added 10 rebounds to lead GAC. She was 12/12 from the free throw line. Jennifer Klohs finished with 10 points.
(Story courtesy of Steve Flegel, Whitworth Sports Information)