After pondering over the slate of games on this final regular season Saturday I decided that the best option was the Bethel - Gustavus clash down in St. Peter. There were obviously three more games that I would have liked to have been at on this day as well to catch some of the seniors in their very last game. I also knew that I would likely catch some flak from some of the Gustavus faithful after my rant this last Monday when I had to get some things off my chest. But as the Rolling Stones sang in that one song, "But that's all over now..."
Actually, I did want to catch the Gustie seniors on this day (Ava Perry, Liz Shay, Colleen Ruane, and Molly Geske) as Gustavus Head Coach Mickey Haller gave the seniors a very nice introduction - and almost teared up in the process which gives you an idea of how much she truly cares and loves her players. But Gustavus also had some matters to tend to as well; i.e., getting back on the winning track after losing two straight - the most recent being the loss up in Moorhead to always-dangerous Concordia. And they would be doing it against a Bethel team that had already clinched a playoff spot and had nothing to lose on this day.
It was the Royals who were able to get off to a good start in this one. Junior forward (and up and coming 3-point bomber) Alicia Montbriand banged home a "3" at the 19:08 mark for a 5-2 Bethel lead and then fellow junior Kelly Swenson extended that lead to 8-2 at the 17:55 mark with her drive and finish inside and obligatory freebie after she was fouled in the process. The Royals were able to maintain the edge over the next few minutes as sophomore Nicole Berscheid scored at the 14:04 and 13:09 marks. Swenson was able to work her way inside again and finish at the 12:08 mark for a 13-10 Royal lead before the Gusties were able to make their decisive move. Junior Steph Comer nailed a "3" from the left wing at the 11:55 mark and then Perry scored inside at the 9:20 mark to give the Gusties their first lead at 15-14; a lead that they would never relinquish. Perry banged home one of her patented flat three-point bombs from the right wing at the 7:54 mark to extend the lead to 18-14. Bethel senior Taylor Sheley; arguably the MIAC MVP for this season tried her best to keep her team close; finishing a sweet drive along the baseline that kept the deficit manageable at 21-16 and up-and-coming sophomore Katelyn Thomsen nailed a "3" at the 5:19 mark that cut the Gustie lead to 23-19 but Gustavus was able to make yet another push before the half. Junior post Abby Rothenbuehler grabbed a rebound and got a putback in transition at the 3:53 mark and then Comer swished home another "3" at the 2:59 mark and Gustavus was up 29-19. Rothenbuehler connected on a jumper from the right side at the 2:28 mark and then Geske connected on a short jumper in the lane with just :04.2 left on the clock before the intermission that saw the Gusties up handily 37-21.
Bethel would make something of a response early in the second half that had the home crowd worried - at least for a little while anyway. Montbriand started it off with a "3" from the right wing at the 19:41 mark and then also got a rebound and putback at the 17:08 mark. Then it was Sheley's turn to shine which, in some ways, was reminiscent of her outstanding performance in the Quarterfinal playoff game here a year ago. She made a drive and finish at the 16:09 mark and then a free throw after being fouled a bit later. A short jumper at the 13:12 mark and then one of her patented "3's" from the left wing at the 12:31 mark gave the Royals new life. A short jumper by sophomore reserve guard Micaella Petrich at the 11:59 mark suddenly cut the Gustavus lead down to 42-36 and Haller quickly called a timeout to get her squad reorganized.
But, unlike last week Saturday when the Gusties seemingly hit the panic button late at Macalester, they were cool, calm and collected and righted the ship quickly. Geske made a sweet turnaround jumper at the 11:29 mark and then sophomore Eli Benz was able to score inside and got fouled in the process. That, along with the obligatory freebie pushed the Gustie lead to double digits again and then Benz finished in transition at the 9:51 mark for a 49-36 Gustavus lead. Swenson was able to score at the 6:48 and 6:07 marks in an effort to get the Royals back into it but they never could get the deficit back to single digits again. A "3" by left junior Kelsey Florian pushed the Gustie lead to 19 by the 3:49 mark which pretty much sealed the deal for the home team. Haller was able to take her seniors out late and the Gusties were able to cement a convincing 70-53 victory to give them some much needed momentum heading into the playoffs.
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