After an action-packed conference tournament, the Gustavus Women’s basketball team earned an at-large bid to the National Tournament.

Since the MIAC tournament format was initiated in 2001, the Gusties have reached the playoffs every year, something no other team can say. Their 2018 run began with a rather routine 65-38 victory over St. Catherine in the opening round of the MIAC Playoffs. The third-seeded Gusties then traveled to take on the No. 2 seed team from St. Benedict. The Gusties came into the game focused and ready to go and ended the first quarter with a 15-9 lead thanks to 10 points from Senior Miranda Rice.

In the second quarter, the Bennies cut their deficit to three points before the Gusties stormed ahead with 13 unanswered points. At halftime, the Gusties held a nine point lead that they wouldn’t give up for the remainder of the contest. The Bennies didn’t go down without a fight, and managed to get within three points in the fourth quarter, but the Gusties responded and maintained their lead to a final score of 61-53. Junior Justine Lee led the Gusties in scoring with 16 points on 5-7 shooting from the field. Seniors Mikayla Miller and Rice added 13 and 12 points respectively and Senior Emee Udo grabbed a career-high seven rebounds.

This was the first road playoff win for the Gusties ever, snapping a 15 game losing streak. “We came ready to play, which wasn’t the case last time we faced Saint Ben’s. We played loose and together. This is what you play for and now we’re excited to have the opportunity to play for a conference championship and a bid to the national tournament,” Head Coach Laurie Kelly said after the win.

With the win, the MIAC Championship was slated for a rematch from last year between the Gusties and St. Thomas in St. Paul. Despite participating in the playoffs each of the last 18 years, the Gusties had yet to secure a MIAC Playoff Title. To add even more motivation for the Gusties, St. Thomas had won the last 20 meetings between the two teams, dating back to 2010.

The Gusties came out strong in the early going and held a 13-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Tommies responded, however, orchestrating a 13-5 run in the second quarter to take the lead that they would hold for the remainder of the game. Despite coming within two points in the third quarter, the Gusties were never able to retake the lead and ended in second place after a 62-56 loss.

Senior Miranda Rice led the Gusties with 13 points in her 109th career game for the Gusties, which sets a new program record. Junior Kendall Thompson added a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Junior Taylor Anderson and First Year Ava Gonsorowski contributed 11 and 10 points respectively. “I’m proud of the fact that we made it to the championship game for the second year in a row. It was a battle to the end but they just made more shots than we did,” Kelly said.

With the loss, the Gusties held a 22-6 record and were unsure of their chances to make the National Tournament with an at-large bid. Regardless, this marked the Gusties’ third consecutive 20-win season, which speaks to the consistency and talent of this group.

On Monday afternoon, the Gusties found out that their season wasn’t over yet. They will travel to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to play their first round game against No. 20-ranked Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Friday, March 2. Last year, the Gusties received an at-large bid but fell in the first round against Depauw University. Should they win, they will play the second round on Saturday. The Gusties clearly have a talented squad this year, and will benefit from the experience and leadership of senior leaders. As previously mentioned, Rice holds the Gusite record for most games played, and Miller is just 27 points away from being the all-time scoring leader in Gustavus basketball history.

“This team is a special team and very deserving to put their mark in the record book,” Kelly said.