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ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – It came down to the wire, but the College of Saint Benedict basketball team secured its first berth in the MIAC Tournament since 2012-13 Saturday afternoon with a win over Augsburg in the regular-season finale. Now, the Blazers open postseason play against a very familiar opponent.
CSB travels to St. Peter, Minn., to take on Gustavus Adolphus in a MIAC Quarterfinal matchup at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23. This marks the third game between the two teams this season, and serves as a rubber match. The Blazers won the first meeting in overtime Jan. 20 in St. Peter, and the Gusties won the second game less than a week ago in Claire Lynch Hall.
About the Gusties: Gustavus, which finished the regular season 19-6 overall and 14-4 in the MIAC, earned the No. 3 seed in the postseason tournament. The Gusties enter the postseason on a five game winning streak, and have won eight of their last nine games. Gustavus' only two losses in 2016 are to St. Thomas – which won the MIAC title – and to Saint Benedict. Mikayla Miller is fourth in the MIAC in scoring at 15.3 points per game, and she is also 10
th in the league with 2.8 assists per game. Miller and Miranda Rice both average 5.2 rebounds per game, and Lindsey Johnson also averages double digits in scoring at 10.6 points per game.
Earlier this Year: The two teams split a pair of regular-season games earlier this year. CSB beat the Gusties 70-61 in overtime on Jan. 20. The Gusties had a big fourth quarter to tie the game at 55-55 at the end of regulation, but CSB outscored Gustavus 15-6 in overtime to come away with the win.
Chelsey Guetter and
Alison Newton each had 12 points and
Macy Kelly finished with 11. Last week, the Blazers – who were down by one – had an opportunity for the last shot, but Gustavus' defense forced a turnover and the Gusties held on for a 52-51 win in Claire Lynch.
Grace Wolhowe had 11 points and
Annie Dittberner had nine rebounds. Gustavus led by as many as 11 in the fourth quarter, but the Blazers cut into the lead and the game went down to the wire.
Storyline: Both teams are looking to extend their seasons for at least a few more games. After not making the postseason for two years, the Blazers are looking to prove that they're back where they belong and make the most of their postseason run. The Gusties are looking to extend a five-game winning streak and avoid another home loss to CSB.
Who to Watch: Guetter came up with some big baskets and scord 12 points for CSB Saturday in a close win against Augsburg, and Newton scored 11 points in her first game since Feb. 10.
Macy Kelly had seven points and seven rebounds, and Newton also had four assists.
Niki Fokken still leads the team in scoring (10.1) and rebounds (7.1) per game, and Wolhowe is back at the top of the MIAC with a .471 three-point percentage.
