ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The No. 16/21-ranked Gustavus women’s basketball team defeated the College of Saint Benedict Saturday afternoon by a score of 61-56 to improve its record to 22-1 overall and 15-1 in conference play.
Mikayla Miller (Jr., Goodhue, Minn.) led the Gusties as the sole scorer in double-digits, with 27 points as she shot 9-for-18 from the field, 3-for-8 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
“It was a battle and the whole game it was close,” said Head Coach Laurie Kelly. “We struggled with foul trouble and had a lot of people in trouble during the first half so our bench had to play a lot of minutes. To me, the key was Miller really showed up. We struggled today offensively, and Miller carried us. We had the ball in her hands down the stretch.”
A tight first half left the score at 28-27 in favor of Gustavus, despite some struggles in shooting as they shot just 29.6 percent (8-27) from the field in the first 20 minutes.
To start the second half, the Gusties and the Blazers went back and forth for six lead changes in the third quarter. With 10 minutes remaining, the road team held a 43-42 lead.
Gustavus took control in the final 10 minutes, eventually gaining its largest lead of the game with 2:41 remaining in the fourth quarter as Miller converted a layup to give the Gusties an eight point lead at 57-49.
“We were able to finally separate ourselves in the final stretch of the fourth quarter and keep the lead with some good defensive stops,” Kelly commented. “You feel good when you leave here with a win. It was a quality win for us even though we didn’t play our best basketball. Down the stretch, we made the plays we had to make to be able to leave with a win.”
The Gusties made up for their shooting performance at the free throw line, totaling its second highest output this season with 24 free throws made. Along with Miller going 6-6 from the line, Kelsey Carpenter (Sr., St. Peter, Minn.) went 7-for-8 and was the Gustie’s second-leading scorer with nine points.
Gustavus heads to St. Paul, Minn. Wednesday evening for its final road game of the regular season, taking on St. Catherine University. The Gusties and Wildcats previously met Jan. 18 at Gus Young Court, Gustavus coming away with a 83-76 win.