The Gustavus women’s basketball team got back on the winning track Monday night in Northfield, Minn. with a convincing 73-31 victory over Carleton. The Gusties move to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the MIAC, while the Knights fall to 1-4 overall and 0-3 in conference play.
Abby Rothenbuehler led the way for the Black and Gold on both ends of the court. The junior forward shot 5-for-8 from the field and sunk all four free throw attempts for a game-high 14 points. She also grabbed a game-high 12 boards with three steals and two blocked shots. Eli Benz also recorded double-digit points with 12 on 6-of-10 shooting.
“Rothenbuehler was our leader tonight,” head coach Mickey Haller said. “She did a great job on both ends, but it was also a great team effort. We set different goals coming into this game and followed through.”
Gustavus came out of the gate fast with the game’s first 15 points. After 6:46 of action passed in the first half, Carleton scored its first two points, but the Gusties continued to control the ball and went into the locker room with a 31-12 lead.
With a 19-point lead headed into the second half, the Gusties didn’t let up and went on to improve their shooting percentage from the field by nearly 24-percent. They converted 12-for-34 (33.5-percent) shots in the first and followed by sinking 16-of-28 (57.1-percent) in the second.
“Even though we had a comfortable lead at the half, we still felt we hadn’t accomplished everything we were capable of,” Haller stated. “We set more goals to control the boards, both offensively and defensively, and generate points off turnovers.”
Haller’s squad responded with 17 points off turnovers in the second for a total of 29 points off turnovers. They also out-rebounded Carleton 24-to-11 in the second frame. The Knights turned the ball over 25 times throughout the contest, including 12 steals by the Gusties.
“It’s nice to get back in the win column after a tough loss to a good St. Thomas team,” Haller acknowledged. “Carleton is a good team with great players who are well coached, but everything fell into place for us tonight and we were fortunate to come away with the win.”
Gustavus will end its three-game MIAC road trip against Augsburg in Minneapolis on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.