Staff Writer- Nathan Swanson
On Saturday, March 7th, the Men’s Gustavus Basketball team, ranked 7th nationally, faced off against the Mary Hardin-Baylor (UMHB) Crusaders from Belton, Texas, in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Gusties ended up winning the game 90-72 following an impressive comeback, being down 18 points against the Crusaders. This is the first time since 2003 that the men’s basketball team has advanced to the Sweet 16, and they are now 27-2 overall for the season.
“I was most proud of the way our team continued to stay in the fight and kept battling throughout the game,” Senior guard Eli Wolff said.
Gustavus had a 17-12 lead to start the game following two three-pointers from Wolff. UMHB, however, would go on a scoring barrage, starting with a few made three pointers. They built their lead to 18 points following a 29-6 run. With just a few minutes left in the first half the score was 41-23, Crusaders. “Going into our matchup with UMHB, we knew they were big and physical, and liked to play fast,” Wolff commented.
Gustavus found momentum going into the half with a 10-0 run, which helped to cut the UMHB lead to under ten. The score entering halftime was 41-33 UMHB.
“In the first half, they did a really good job of beating us down the court and getting out in transition. That was an important adjustment we made throughout the game and assisted us in our comeback,” Wolff said.
The Crusaders shot 45.71% on field goals in the first half, 43.75% on three pointers, and were 2-2 from the free throw line. Gustavus in the first half was 27.50% on field goals (11-40), and 29.41% on three pointers (5-17), going 6-8 from the free throw line.
Beginning the second half, the Gusties cut the lead down to one within the first three minutes. The score was 44-43 UMHB. Junior Jake Schmitt hit a huge three-pointer with 10 minutes left in the game to put the Gusties on top 60-59. Gustavus would then go on a 13-2 run and lead 73-63 with seven minutes left of game time. UMHB made a final push and was able to cut the Gusties lead to 5. Gustavus was up 75-70 then went on a 15-2 run that got them to the finish and punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 23 years.
In the second half, UMHB shot 38.46% on field goals (10-26), their three-point percentage was 28.57% (4-14), and they shot 53.85% from the free throw line (7-13). Gustavus in the second half shot 54.55% on field goals, and they were perfect from the free throw line (18-18).
A key for Gustavus in the game was their ability to capitalize on points from turnovers, which they have done well with all season long. This crucial statistic was highlighted as the Gusties were 21-4 for the game in this category. Another important statistic was their points in the paint, where they were 42-26. Gustavus had 46 rebounds in the game, while UMHB had 32 rebounds.
“They were also a very good rebounding team, which is something we’ve struggled with this season, so we had a conscious effort to win the rebounding battle, and that was something we were able to do,” Wolff commented.
Junior guard Myles Barnette had a team-high 26 points for the Gusties in the game. He scored 18 points in the second half, shooting 6-10. Wolff shot 5-9 from the three-point line, shooting 55%, and had 19 points in the game.
Looking ahead, the men’s basketball team will hit the road and head to Chicago, where they will take on the No. 6 ranked University of Chicago Maroons in the Sweet 16.
“I think we’re all excited to have this opportunity, and to be one of the last 16 teams standing is a great accomplishment. We’ve worked hard all year to get to this point… I think we’re all very blessed in having this opportunity to play for this program, and to play with one another. It just speaks to the brotherhood that Gustavus men’s basketball allows you to be a part of, ” Wolff said.
Gustavus’s next game will be on Saturday, March 14th, at 4:00 pm at the Gerald Ratner Athletics Center on the University of Chicago campus.