The Gustavus women’s basketball team out-scored Saint Mary’s 18-2 to start the second half and never looked back on its way to a convincing 65-48 win over the Cardinals in Winona on Wednesday night. The Gusties shot 56.0 percent from the field (14-25) and 50.0 percent from three-point range (4-8) in the second half. Three Gustavus players scored in double figures including Emily Nelson with 13, Julia Schultz with 12, and Brianna Radtke with 11. The Gusties are now 11-6 overall and 9-5 in the MIAC.
The Gusties and Cardinals matched each other point-for-point for most of the first half. There were four ties and six lead changes through the first 18 minutes of play, but Gustavus used an 8-0 run over the final four minutes of the half to take a 28-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Gustavus picked up right where it left off at the end of the first half as it out-scored Saint Mary’s 18-2 in the first five minutes of play and held a 46-24 lead at the 15:20 mark. Molly Geske and Bri Radtke each scored five points to spark the Gusties during the run. Gustavus continued to extend its lead throughout the second half and held its biggest lead at 30-points (63-33) with 5:59 left to play. Saint Mary’s used a 15-2 run over the final five minutes of the game to make the final score 65-48.
The Gusties will travel to St. Paul on Saturday to face St. Kate’s at 2:00 pm.