Dorothy Mantooth–
The Gustavus Women’s Basketball team hit a season-high of 13 three-pointers and handed Colorado College their first loss of the season in a 78-72 win at Gus Young Court. After falling behind early, Gustavus used strong shooting in the second half and a well-balanced offensive effort led by Fifth-year Emma Kniefel and Senior Morgan Kelly to secure the victory before heading into the holiday break.
Colorado College started hot, shooting 60 percent in the first half, but their poor free-throw shooting kept the Gusties in the game. Gustavus, despite hitting just 26.5 percent of their shots in the first half, managed to take a slim 28-27 lead at the break. The third quarter saw Gustavus dominate offensively, scoring 28 points on 73 percent shooting, including 4-5 from beyond the arc. Though the Tigers kept pace with an even 22-22 fourth quarter, the Gusties’ lead held up for their first home win of the year.
The game began with both teams missing their first few shots until Colorado finally scored two minutes in. The Tigers took an early lead, going up by as much as eight points at 16-8. Kniefel hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 16-11 at the end of the first quarter. Colorado went on a seven-point run early in the second, but Gustavus fought back. A three-pointer from Kelly sparked an 8-2 Gustie run, which was capped off by yet another three from Senior Kylie Baranick, giving the Gusties a narrow lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Gustavus turned up the heat, going on an 18-6 run in the first four minutes with four three-pointers. The Gusties forced key turnovers in the fourth quarter to maintain their lead, with late threes from Kniefel, Senior Syd Hauger, and First-year Olivia Grothaus sealing the win.
With the win, the Gusties move to 5-0 on the season and wrap up their non-conference portion of the schedule. The Gustavus Women’s Basketball team has been red-hot to start the season, and there is cause to be very excited about their performance.
Kniefel led with 21 points, three rebounds, and seven assists. Kelly added 19 points and seven boards. Their performances were enough to land Kneifel MIAC offensive player of the week honors, and Kelly was awarded the defensive player of the week. When you have great offensive and defensive players, that is surely a recipe for success in any sport.
The team’s 13 threes were a season-high, and all around it was an impressive performance from the women. Next up is their MIAC opener against Augsburg on Dec. 4. The Gusties will look to keep their undefeated season going, good luck Gusties!