COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s basketball team was outmatched by the No. 6-ranked Johnnies of Saint John’s University Monday evening during a 76-54 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference loss at Sexton Arena.
With the second consecutive loss, the Gusties drop to 10-9 overall and 8-6 during conference play, while Saint John’s remains unbeaten in the MIAC at 13-0 and improves to 17-1 overall.
A three-pointer from Vannis Smith (So., Crystal Lake, Ill.) put Gustavus up 7-6 in the early minutes of the opening half. However, that would be the last lead for the Black and Gold as the Johnnies proved why they sit atop of the conference standings, maintaining a lead throughout the rest of the game.
The home team shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, compared to a 38.5 percent mark (10-26) from the visiting Gusties. Saint John’s held on to at least a nine-point lead over Gustavus throughout the remaining minutes of the opening half, taking a 35-24 lead into the intermission.
Gustavus continued to struggle to find a shooting stride in the second half, shooting 37.5 percent from the field while the Johnnies shot 17-30, 56.7 percent.
The Gusties opened the half on a 9-4 run to twice come within six points of Saint John’s. A layup from Smith cut the Johnnie lead to 39-33 with 16:43 left on the game clock. Gustavus couldn’t find a way to continue the scoring pace, however, as missed free throws and strong post play from the home team hampered the comeback hopes.
Saint John’s held a 38-12 points in the paint advantage over the Gusties, shooting 31-58 from the field and 10-23 from long-range. Gustavus shot a season-worst 2-8 from the charity stripe in the loss while shooting 37.9 percent from the field, a season-low during conference action.
Smith led the Gusties with 12 points off 5-8 shooting, going 2-3 from beyond the arc. Jason Faul (Sr., Prior Lake, Minn.) and Peter Lundquist (Fy., Rochester, Minn.) each added 10 points, while Riley Sharbono (Jr., Marshall, Minn.) led the team with six rebounds.
Gustavus continues its road-stretch in Northfield, Minn. on Wednesday evening for a matchup at Carleton College.