ST. PETER, Minn. – After a pair of close games against Gustavus earlier this season, the Gusties proved to be too much for the College of Saint Benedict basketball team the third time around.
Gustavus outscored CSB 24-8 in the first quarter and the Blazers shot just 28.8 percent from the field for the game in a 65-40 loss in a MIAC Quarterfinal matchup Tuesday night in St. Peter, Minn.
Saint Benedict, which earned the No. 6 seed in the tournament with a win to end the regular season Saturday, ends its season 15-11 overall, marking the first winning season for the Blazers since 2012-13. This was also the Blazers' first postseason appearance since 2013. Gustavus, the No. 3 seed, moves on to take on No. 2 Saint Mary's Thursday in Winona.
Gustavus (20-6) started Tuesday's game on a 9-0 run before
Niki Fokken got the Blazers on the board with 4:39 left in the first. After ending the first quarter down 16 points,
Annie Dittberner hit a three to start the second quarter and cut the Gusties' lead to 13. Baskets by
Grace Wolhowe and Dittberner, and later a pair of free throws by
Macy Kelly, cut the gap to 13 on several occasions, but after Kelly's free throws, Gustavus hit a three and it led by 19, 38-19, at halftime.
The Gusties pushed their lead to 21 on a layup early in the third quarter, and they were able to maintain that lead the rest of the game.
Dittberner finished with 10 points to lead CSB, which went 15-for-52 from the field. Kelly added eight points and
Chelsey Guetter had nine rebounds. The Blazers went 2-for-14 from long range and 8-for-11 from the line. They had 39 rebounds and 26 turnovers.
Mikayla Miller led all scorers with 24 points for Gustavus, and she also had 10 assists. She was the only player in double digits for the Gusties, who shot 47.5 percent from the field, went 4-for-5 from the line and had 32 rebounds and 16 turnovers.
Tuesday's game wraps up a season that saw a young Blazer squad - one with no seniors on its roster - start the year 5-1 and go on a four-game winning streak on the road mid-year. With no one graduating in May, CSB looks to bring back plenty of experience in 2016-17.
