Arden Hills, Minn. – After battling Bethel University back-and-forth for 37 minutes, the Gustavus Adolphus men’s basketball team finished the game on an 8-0 run over the final three minutes to earn a 68-64 win over the Royals on Wednesday night at the Robertson Center.
Bethel’s Jackson Canfield led all scorers with 16 points and six rebounds, while Jordan Dick (Sr., Wabasha, Minn.) led Gustavus in scoring with 13 points with three three-pointers.
With tonight’s result, Gustavus improves to 15-8 overall and 12-6 in the MIAC. Bethel drops to 13-10 overall and 9-9 in league play.
Gustavus led just once in the first half after trailing by as many as eight points on three separate occasions. The lead came with 40 seconds left in the frame when Chad Poppen (So., St. Peter, Minn.) made a layup to give his team a 30-29 lead. The advantage lasted just 17 seconds before Canfield gave the Royals a one-point lead (31-30) heading into halftime.
Bethel shot 46.2 percent (12-26) in the opening 20 minutes compared to just 37.8 percent (14-37) for Gustavus. However, the Gusties also held an impressive 28-12 advantage in rebounding. Of those 28 rebounds, 15 were offensive.
The Royals came out firing in the second half, opening the frame on an 8-0 run to take a 38-30 lead on a Luke Buttenhoff free throw with 17:16 still remaining.
Gustavus then chipped away at the lead over the next six minutes and would tie the game (45-45) with 11:30 left to play.
From there, the two teams went back-and-forth, as neither would lead by more than five points for the remainder of the contest.
Trailing by four points (64-60) with 3:01 remaining, the Gusties finished the game on an 8-0 run that was sparked by a Jordan Dick three-pointer. Martin Feddersen (Jr., Winona, Minn.) followed with a layup on the ensuing possession to give Gustavus a one-point lead (65-64) with two minutes left.
After turning the ball over on its next possession and allowing the Gusties a pair of offensive rebounds, Bethel had a chance to take the lead with seven seconds remaining, but could not connect on a three-pointer. From there, Coleman Sweeney (Fr., Lake City, Minn.) went on to make three consecutive three throws to seal the win for the Gusties.
For the game, Gustavus shot 43.3 percent (26-60), while Bethel shot 48.9 percent (23-47) from the field. The difference came on the glass, as the Gusties outrebounded the Royals 43-22. Of those 43 rebounds, 20 were offensive that lead to an 18-1 advantage in second-chance points.
Following Dick’s 13 points for Gustavus, Martin Feddersen scored 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting. Feddersen also grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists. Brody Ziegler (So., Mankato, Minn.) was the only other player to score in double-figures with 10 points to go along with nine rebounds. Off the bench, Coleman Sweeney put forth his best performance in a Gustie uniform, scoring seven points to go along with nine rebounds – six of which were offensive – five assists, and three steals.
Bethel had two players score in double-figures led by Jackson Canfield’s 16 points and six rebounds. Brycen Wojta followed with 12 points, six assists, and three steals.
Gustavus will be back in action this weekend when they host Saint Mary’s University on Saturday afternoon at Gus Young Court. Saturday’s opening tip is set for 3:00 p.m.