Athletics

Men’s Hoops In Search Of Series Sweep At Saint Mary’s

The Gustavus men’s basketball team is set to continue Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play Wednesday evening at Saint Mary’s University. The Gusties (8-5, 6-2 MIAC) and the Cardinals (1-11, 0-7 MIAC) are set to tipoff at 7 p.m. with Gustavus looking for the series sweep.

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by

tjackso2

Gustavus at Saint Mary’s
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 10
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Winona, Minn. | SMU Gym
Live Coverage: Stats | Video

GAME NOTES

ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s basketball team is set to continue Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play Wednesday evening at Saint Mary’s University. The Gusties (8-5, 6-2 MIAC) and the Cardinals (1-11, 0-7 MIAC) are set to tipoff at 7 p.m. with Gustavus looking for the series sweep.

The Series

Wednesday’s game marks the 175th meeting between Gustavus and Saint Mary’s on the hardwood, with the Gusties holding a 124-50 advantage in the all-time series. Last season, the Cardinals snapped a 12-game Gustavus winning streak with a 75-73 win in Winona, Minn. The Gusties previously recorded their largest win of the season with an 85-65 victory over Saint Mary’s during the MIAC opener Nov. 29 at Gus Young Court.

Last Time Out

Gustavus put together a season-high point total in a 98-79 victory over Macalester College Monday evening. The Gusties gave up a season-high 79 points while posting its highest scoring total, battling through the Scots’ aggressive full-court press. The Black and Gold shot a season-best 38- for-63 (60.3%) from the field and out-rebounded Macalester 40-30.

Four Gusties scored in double figures, led by a career performance from Jason Faul (Sr., Prior Lake, Minn.) and a double-double from Kelsey Thomas (Sr., Wiesbaden, Germany). Faul totaled a career-high 25 points and 12 of 13 field goals made, while Thomas added 21 and 11 rebounds. In addition, Riley Sharbono (Jr., Marshall, Minn.) tallied 15 points along with a career-high 11 from Brandon Snoberger (Jr., Rice, Minn.).

About the Cardinals

Saint Mary’s is in search of its first win since an 89-75 win over Martin Luther College during the season opener, having collected 11 consecutive losses since. The Cardinals most recently dropped a heartbreaking loss against Concordia College on Wednesday, coming up short by a score of 67-64 on their home court. The freshman duo of Kareem Anthony-Bello and Jakob Bailey leads Saint Mary’s, averaging 10.2 points per game and 9.3 points per game, respectively.

Gustavus Notables

  • The Gusties matched their win total from last season with the Dec. 6 victory at Augsburg.
  • The 4-0 start to conference play was the best since the 2014-15 season, in which Gustavus began MIAC action with a 5-0 start.
  • Gustavus ranks atop the conference three-point field goal defense to a 29.5 percent mark from beyond the arc, while ranking second in scoring defense, allowing 65.6 points per game.
  • Riley Sharbono leads the the MIAC with a 61-for- 72 clip from the free throw line.
  • Kelsey Thomas leads the Gusties with 7.1 rebounds per game, ranking fifth in the MIAC.
    • Thomas tallied his third double-double of the season at Macalester.
  • Jason Faul posted a career-high 25 points at Macalester and ranks fifth in the MIAC with a 60.4 field goal percentage.
  • Gustavus tied a season-high with 23 assists at Macalester.