ST. PAUL, Minn. – The No. 13/20-ranked Gustavus women’s basketball team closed out its final regular season road game Wednesday evening at St. Catherine University, coming away with an 84-65 win to improve its record to 23-1 overall, 16-1 MIAC. The 23 wins stands as the second most wins in a season in program history.
Four Gusties tallied double-digits in the scoring column, with Hannah Howard (Sr., St. Paul, Minn.) leading the way with a season-best performance. Howard tied a career-high with 19 points and registered a season-high 18 rebounds to record her fourth double-double this season. She also accumulated a career-high nine free throws made, going 9-for-10 from the charity stripe.
“She was a monster on the glass,” Head Coach Laurie Kelly spoke of Howard’s play. “She is a senior playing inspired right now and she understands what this season means to her. As our captain, Hannah has been our leader all season long.”
Miranda Rice (Jr., Forest Lake, Minn.), Brooke Lemke (So., Delano, Minn.), and Kelsey Carpenter (Sr., St. Peter, Minn.) also posted double-digit point performances. Rice recorded 18, Lemke with 11, and Carpenter with 10.
The Gusties started the game on a 17-4 run and eventually pushed its lead to 20 near the end of the first half. Gustavus shot the ball well in the first 20 minutes, going 15-for-28 (53.6%) from the field, and 4-for-9 from beyond the arc to hold a 43-30 lead going into the break. Miranda Rice led the road team at the half with 11 points while Hannah Howard was a force on the glass, collecting 10 rebounds.
In the final 20 minutes, Gustavus posted 16 made free throws en route to its second-highest free throw mark this season with total of 25. The Gusties also out-rebounded the Wildcats by a margin of 41-30 in the game to help secure the victory.
“I thought it was a really good game for us,” Kelly commented. “Overall we played a well-rounded basketball game. We did turn the ball over too much, that is one thing that I take away from the game. Anytime you can win on the road, it’s a good game.”
Leading by 15 at the end of the three quarters, Gustavus went on an 11-4 run to begin the final frame and went on to maintain the solid lead, eventually grabbing its largest lead of the game of 24 points with 4:58 remaining in the game.
With the win, the Gusties secure the No. 2 seed and a bye for the first round of the MIAC Playoffs. The Black and Gold close out the regular season Saturday afternoon, hosting Carleton College on senior day. Tip off is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start at Gus Young Court.