Made the trek over to Macalester's Leonard Center on this night to take in this important MIAC clash between visiting Gustavus and host Macalester. The Scots, who have historically been something of a pain in the side for the Gusties (at least at home anyway) were looking to make it three years in a row that they have downed the Gusties at home while GAC would be looking to keep its conference record unblemished.
It was the black-clad Gusties who got off to the hot start in this one. After a jumper by senior point guard Kyanna Jones that had Macalester up 2-0 at the start, the Gusties went on a 12-2 run as they lit up the Scots from the perimeter and in the paint. Senior guard/forward Kelsey Florian knocked down a "3" from the left wing at the 18:28 mark and after a bucket by surprising freshman post Karina Schroeder at the 17:52 mark, lanky senior forward Abby Rothenbuehler connected with a jumper from the right wing at the 17:20 mark. Then it was senior guard Steph Comer who has made tremendous strides in her career at GAC; banging home a "3" from the right wing at the 15:59 mark. Rothenbuehler capped the run at the 15:31 mark with a lay-up in transition before Jones finally stopped the bleeding for Macalester with a long "2" from the left corner at the 14:24 mark that cut the Gustie lead to 12-6.
Macalester, however, would make things interesting before the half as they tried to plant the seeds of doubt into the Gusties. After junior Britta Rinke's score inside at the 12:27 mark put the Gusties up 16-6, the Scots responded with a run of their own that got them close. Junior guard Carmen Whitehead knocked down a "3" from the left wing at the 12:12 mark and was also able to knock down a pair of free throws at the 11:12 mark to cut the Gustie lead down to 16-11. Then it was the freshman from Sparta, Wisconsin, Erin Murray, whose jumper in transition at the 10:47 mark got the Scots to within 16-13 before the Gusties were able to right the ship again somewhat. Rothenbuehler's score inside at the 10:36 mark and a sweet move and lay-up by diminutive junior reserve guard Shelly Blashko with 9:45 left sandwiched a Scot score by junior post Veronika Jakubovie. Another Comer "3"; this one from the left top area at the 8:35 mark plus a pair of freebies by Schroeder with 7:05 left had the Gusties up by double digits again at 27-17. Coming down the stretch, junior guard Julia Dysthie, who is one of the most dangerous players in the MIAC, connected with a jumper with 6:01 left and then made a great steal and got a lay-up the other way with 3:10 left that put the Gusties up 31-22. Macalester would make on last foray before the half, however, Jones made good on a drive and finish with 2:15 left and after Dysthie connected with a jumper off the glass with :51 left for the Gusties, it was junior guard Taylor Pike who helped the Scots make another stab into the Gustie advantage with her "3" from the left wing with just :31 left that had Macalester trailing at the half 33-27. After a 1st half that saw the Gusties shoot a very good 56% from the field and a blistering 75% from three-point land, it was arguably something of a glass half-full proposition for Gustavus.
The Gusties sought to fill that glass as the second half got underway but it was never easy. After both teams traded buckets in the first few minutes of the second half, the Gusties were able to push the lead back up to double digits again beginning at the 18:12 mark when Rothenbuehler was able to score off of an inbounds pass then Dysthie got the Gusties a 41-31 lead with two free throws at the 17:55 mark. After a score by Schroeder at the 16:54 mark that had Gustavus up 43-31, Macalester sophomore reserve forward Annie Drabot put a scare into the Gusties again as she connected with a "3" from the right wing at the 16:14 mark. But, unlike last year, every time the Scots tried to make stabs at the Gustie lead, the Gusties responded like seasoned veterans. Rothenbuehler scored off of another inbounds pass at the 15:49 mark and then the Gusties got three scores in a row from the versatile Florian - at the 15:58 mark (inside), 13:51 mark (jumper from the top), and at the 13:20 mark (lay-up in transition) that enabled Gustavus to get some breathing room at 51-36.
Another positive sign for the Gusties so far this year is that they are getting scoring from a multitude of players. Blaschko showed how dangerous she can be from behind the arc with her "3" from the left wing at the 12:21 mark and then Rinke, who has made that big stride in her junior year, connected with a jumper at the 11:58 mark that put the Gusties up by twenty at 58-38 and prompted Macalester Head Coach Ellen Thompson to call a timeout to try and stem the tide. The Scots would try and respond as best they could; a score inside by Jakubovie with 10:45 left and a lay-up by Jones some thirty seconds later plus a "3" by Drabot with 9:04 left and another score by Pike off the glass with 8:16 left is a good indication of how scrappy this Macalester team truly is - they never give up without a fight. But they simply don't have the same firepower as Gustavus does and the Gusties responded each time in calm fashion. A jumper by Rinke in the lane with 5:44 left kept the lead at fifteen at 64-49 and two freebies by Florian upped the lead to 66-49 a bit later. Gustavus showed great ball control and clock management down the stretch; never allowing Macalester to get to within single digits again as the Gusties claimed a big road win by a final of 66-56; thus setting up the big showdown (once again) with UST on Wednesday night at home in St. Peter.
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