Gustavus 106, Buena Vista 93 (Box)
STORM LAKE, Iowa – For just the sixth time in program history, the Gustavus Adolphus College women’s basketball team eclipsed the 100-point mark in a single game, as it defeated Buena Vista University 106-93 on Tuesday evening at Siebens Fieldhouse. The Gusties’ 106 points is the first time the program has hit the century mark since February 9, 2002, and ties for fourth most all-time in a single game, with 113 being the record set on November 16, 1990 – a 113-34 victory over Mount St. Clare College. With the win, Gustavus improves to 3-1 overall, while Buena Vista falls to 2-2.
“This was a great win for us,” said Coach Laurie Kelly. “Buena Vista was 2-1 coming into the game with its one loss coming against St. Thomas, the game was on their home court, it was a longer road trip than we’re used to, and we were able to overcome all of that and find a way.”
The game had the makings for a high-scoring affair all along, as the two squads combined for 46 points – a 24-22 Gustavus lead – after one quarter of play, in which the largest lead for either team was six. The second quarter was much the same, as each team went in spurts and never led by more than six again, and at halftime, the Gusties held a 54-49 advantage.
“It was a fast paced, up-tempo game that featured quality inside-outside play and I think the pace of the game was the primary factor in the high scores tonight,” said Kelly. “I don’t think either team played poor defense necessarily, there were just a lot of quick shots and they were high percentage shots. That is what Buena Vista loves to do … they want to get the ball up the floor really fast, spread the floor, dribble penetrate, and either go to the rim or kick and shoot a ton of three’s.”
At the 8:01 mark of the third quarter, the Black and Gold took its largest lead of the night to that point, an eight-point 59-51 advantage. However, over the next three minutes, the Beavers went on an 11-2 run that allowed them to take their first lead since the 3:15 mark of the first quarter. From that point though, the Gusties went on a run of their own – a 17-7 lead over the next five minutes – that would allow them to take a 78-69 lead into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, Buena Vista managed to keep the game within reach for the first five minutes and only trailed the Gusties 86-81 with 6:16 to play in the contest. It was then Gustavus went on a 12-2 run over the next 3:52, highlighted by two Lindsey Johnson (Sr., Edina, Minn.) three-pointers, to take its first double-digit lead of the game at 98-83 with 2:24 to play. From that point, the scoring was nearly even, with the Gusties tallying eight and the Beavers 10, but Gustavus had already done its damage and came away with a 106-93 victory to clinch its third win of the season and move to a perfect 2-0 on the road.
“We shot the ball really well and got great production from our bench,” said Kelly. “Kendall Thompson had a nice breakout game for us and Kelsey Carpenter was also very productive. It was an exciting game … [Buena Vista head coach] Janet [Berry] and I joked at halftime about the lack of defense, but in reality, throughout the game, there were so many possessions and so many quick shots that a lack of defense really wasn’t the case.”
The Gusties featured a balanced scoring attack, with Mikayla Miller (So., Goodhue, Minn.) leading the corps as she has in three-of-four games so far this season. The second-year tallied 27 total points, with 10 coming off free-throws, to lead all scorers, and also chipped in six rebounds. Johnson and Kelsey Carpenter (Jr., St. Peter, Minn.) were next, scoring 18 points apiece. Johnson and Carpenter were particularly effective from outside the arc, with Johnson going 4-of-7 and Carpenter going 2-for-2. Johnson also tallied six rebounds, while Carpenter dished out seven assists.
As a team, Gustavus had its best shooting performance of the season, as it went 32-of-60 from the floor to total 53.3 percent, a clip that included going 10-for-16 from long range. The Gusties also went 32-of-36 from the charity stripe, a mark of 88.9 percent, which blew their previous season high of 60 percent out of the water.
“We grew a lot tonight and its a great step forward for our team,” concluded Kelly. “This is what it’s going to be like when we go on the road in the MIAC … we’re going to have to battle and we certainly did tonight. I’m proud of the entire team for stepping up, making the plays they needed to, and hitting big shots down the stretch. Our free-throw shooting, which has been an achilles heel for us this season, was also a high point for us tonight. It’s a great way to go into Thanksgiving break before we begin conference play.”
The Gusties will be off from game action until Wednesday, December 2 when they travel to Saint Mary’s for their MIAC opener, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. Gustavus could be entering that game with a bit of extra motivation, as the Cardinals were the last conference team the Gusties faced, as they ended the Black and Gold’s 2014-15 season with a 90-58 win over the Gusties in last season’s MIAC Playoff Quarterfinals.