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Welcome Rematch: Today, Saint Benedict and Gustavus meet for the second time on the season (3 p.m., Jan. 26), with the Gusties taking a three-point win in comeback fashion the first time. In what has become a major game in the conference standings, the two teams are part of a four-way tie for second place in the MIAC, with the winner gaining the edge in the race for the conference title. The Blazers enter at 13-4 on the year with a 11-3 MIAC mark, while the Gusties are 12-5 overall, with an identical 11-3 league record.
About Gustavus: The Gusties ran out to an 8-0 record in conference play, but have since lost three of their last five. The most surprising may have been a 62-49 setback on the road to a St. Olaf team that is just 7-7 in the MIAC, dropping the Gusties out of the top spot in the standings. Most recently though, they scored an impressive 69-42 win over Bethel at home. They are 5-2 at home with the only losses to St. Thomas and Concordia, two of the top teams in the league. Abby Rothenbuehler is the leader offensively, averaging 12.9 points per game, as well as 13.9 in MIAC games to rank fifth in the league. In their latest win, she went off for 25 against Bethel. One of the more complete teams in the MIAC, Gustavus ranks fourth in both points scored (63.0), and fewest points allowed (57.9).
Last Meeting: In just the second conference game of the season, the Blazers saw a 35-27 halftime lead slip away in a 64-61 loss at home. Saint Benedict went up by 10 with 13 minutes left, holding a 49-39 lead, but Gustavus came back with 12 straight points, and eventually took the lead at 58-57 with just four minutes to play. The Blazers were unable to close in the final minutes, and on the last possession the Gusties were able to dribble away the final seconds for the win.
The Storyline: Which team can earn the win to begin to separate themselves from the pack in second place? For the Blazers it will mean continuing their current run of five straight wins, but for the Gusties it will mean breaking out of their current 2-3 stretch, which includes a 1-2 mark over the last week. The Gusties were hot early and the Blazers are hot of late, but in a match-up of two of the traditional league powers, anything can happen. Now past the midway point of the conference season, each game and win carries more importance, a message not lost on either team.
Who To Wach:
Brianna Barrett scored then a career high 19 when the two teams first met, leading the Blazers. It started a run of 10 straight games in double figures for the Blazer junior, who leads the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game.
Whitney Canton has a run of five straight games in double figures, which has helped spur the Blazers to their current five-game winning streak. The Blazers are 8-0 this season when Canton scores over 10 points. On the defensive end,
Morgan Dale has turned into a game-changer, pulling down 16 rebouds in each of the last two games, and three times overall. With two double-doubles and four games with double-digit rebounds, she ranks fourth in the MIAC with 7.4 rebounds per game in conference games.
Last Time Out: On Wednesday, Saint Benedict played its first home game in 11 days, and used a dominating second half to cruise by visiting Macalester. The Blazers out-scored the Scots 35-12 in the second half, led by 15 points in the period from
Morgan Dale, taking their fifth consecutive victory. Dale finished with a double-double, adding 16 rebounds to her 15 points to lead the way.
Whitney Canton also added 12 points, hitting double figures for the fifth straight game.
