Braden Ripken-
Last week, both the Gustavus Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams won against Concordia Moorhead, improving their records to 2-0 in conference play. The teams were fresh off decisive wins versus Augsburg a few days before, and they continued that momentum to be undefeated during the week.
The Gusties were excited to see their men’s Basketball Team on their home court for the second time in the week. Sadly, Concordia came out hot and held the advantage, up 11-9 after the first 5 minutes of the game. Senior Brady Kienitz kept the Gusties in the game, scoring the first 7 points for the Gusties. After the 5-minute mark, The Myles Barnett Show started and led the Gusties to a 12-0 run by scoring six points, two steals, and an assist during the run. The Cobbers responded to this with a run of their own, outscoring the Gusties 15-4 for the next 5 minutes, and got the lead back 26-25. It was back-and-forth offensive basketball for the rest of the half, with the Gusties leading 38-36 at halftime.
After some halftime adjustments, the Gusties came out fast with a 12-6 run. Fifth-year Wyatt Olson cleaned up the boards by grabbing three offensive rebounds that turned into three points and an assist on a three-pointer made by Fifth-year Adam Biewen. The Cobbers clawed their way back to cut the lead to 4 with around 9 minutes remaining. The Gusties went on another offensive spree, outscoring the Cobbers 16-7 over the next 5 minutes to go up 73-60 with 4 minutes remaining. The Cobbers scored 12 points in the final 4 minutes, with 5 points coming in the final 14 seconds. The Golden Gusties were too good for the Cobbers, winning 79-72. The strong defensive performance was led by Sophomore Myles Barnett, who finished the game with four steals and two blocks, earning MIAC Defensive Player of the Week.
After the Men won their game, the nationally ranked No. 9 Gustie Women’s Basketball was prepared to destroy the Cobbers, extend their winning streak to 7, and stay undefeated in the season and conference play. It was back-and-forth basketball to start the first quarter, with the lead changing six times in the game’s first five minutes. The Gusties went down 3 points, losing 10-7, with Emma Kniefel keeping them in the game. A strong offensive performance by Senior Morgan Kelly and lockdown defense by Rachel Kawiecki led the Gusties back, tying it up 13-13 at the end of the first quarter.
The Gusties came out hot, scoring the first 6 points of the second quarter, led by Kniefel assisting Kawiecki on a layup, and then got a breakaway steal, which led to a fast break score. Kniefel continued shooting after the 6-0 run and scored 7 out of the 8 points the rest of the quarter for the Gusties. The ruthless scoring and the relentless defense, holding the Cobbers to only making 3 out of their 13 attempted shots, led to the Gusties going up by five at halftime and winning 27-22.
The plans at halftime must’ve worked because the Gusties owned the third quarter. With the Gusties going on a hot run, expanding their lead to 12 only 6 minutes into the 3rd quarter. Kawiecki and Kniefel again led the Gusties, with Kawiecki scoring 4 with a rebound and 2 steals and Kneifel with 3 steals, a 3-pointer, and an assist. Defense was the name of the last four minutes of the quarter, with both teams scoring only 2 points. At the end of the quarter, the Gusties outscored the Cobbers 14-7.
The fourth quarter was perfect team basketball as six different Gusties scored 16 total points. Gustavus won almost every part of the game besides 3-point percentages, with the Gusties shooting 45.7% while Concordia only shot 32%. The Gusties also turned the ball over 5 times less and out-rebounded the Cobbers 28-25. Gustavus dominated this game and earned their 57-40 win over Concordia Moorhead. Kneifel scored 19 total points and 6 steals, and Izzy Quick scored 9 points with 8 rebounds. Kawiecki, after scoring 10 points with 4 rebounds and 3 steals, earned MIAC Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in a row.