ST. PETER, Minn. – Saturday afternoon’s MIAC men’s basketball game against Hamline University didn’t start well for Gustavus as the visiting Pipers raced to a double-digit advantage, leading by as much as 19 points in the first half. Hamline took a 20-point lead in the second, it’s largest of the game, but the Gusties showed pride and determination to erase that deficit and tie the game 74-74 with 3:19 left in regulation. Trailing 83-80 after a timeout and eight seconds on the game clock, Chris Narum (Sr., Eagan, Minn.) played the role of the hero as he sunk an off-balance fade-away three to tie the game with just five seconds on the clock, sending it to overtime. Having lost their previous two overtime contests this season, the Gusties flipped the script and went on to claim a 101-91 victory to improve to 10-13 overall and 7-11 in the MIAC.
Narum finished with a career-high 26 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, including 10-of-12 for the free throw line. Brody Ziegler (Sr., Mankato, Minn.) also posted a career-best 26 points on an impressive 11-of-13 shooting from the floor. Ziegler added six rebounds and went 4-for-7 from the charity stripe. Three other Gusties reached double figures – Gary Cooper (Sr., Detroit, Mich.) with 18, Chad Poppen (Sr., St. Peter, Minn.) with 12, and Riley Sharbono (Fy., Marshall, Minn.) with 10. Alec Koster (Jr., Redwood Falls, Minn.) fought hard on every possession as the 6-2 wing hauled in a career-high eight rebounds.
“Our starters did great, but really, our whole bench did as well,” Head Coach Mark Hanson said. “Once we started rolling they were all really into it and that’s great. Whether you win or lose, you want it to be a team effort, and I think people lose sight of what happens with those guys that are sitting to my right. Their encouragement and effort was great, and if they get in for a minute, whatever, they are on each other’s side and that’s neat.”
Hamline started the game on fire, making eight of its first 10 shots, resulting in a 19-10 advantage five minutes into the game. Hamline’s Zach Smith was the driving force in the scoring outburst, as he scored 11 of his game-high 31 points in the first five minutes. The Pipers continued to shoot with the hot hand, cruising to a 43-24 lead at the 4:27 mark. The Gusties tried to chip away at their deficit, but Hamline held on to a comfortable 51-35 lead at halftime.
The Pipers took their largest lead of the game, 55-35, one minute into the second half, but from the 17:54 mark down to 13:32 Gustavus went on an 18-5 run to cut its deficit to seven points at 62-55. Hamline regained a double-digit advantage two possessions later, but once again the Gusties battled back with an 11-3 spree to make the score 71-68 at the 7:21 mark. The Black and Gold continued to dig deep and tilt the momentum in its favor, finally tying the game at 74-74 with 3:19 remaining. The Pipers were able to regain a six-point advantage over the next two minutes, but the Gusties didn’t allow a field goal in the final 2:54, leading to Narum’s game-tying three-point in the final seconds to send the game to overtime.
In the extra period, Hamline took back the lead on its first bucket, but that would be its last as the Gusties shot 6-of-7 from the field in the final five minutes, and went 4-of-6 from the free throw line to secure the 10-point victory.
Gustavus continues play at Gus Young Court at 7 p.m. next Wednesday against Saint John’s.