NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Sixth-ranked Gustavus Adolphus College broke open a two-point game with a 15-0 run to close out the first half and went on to defeat the St. Olaf College women's basketball team 73-41 on Wednesday night at Skoglund Center.
Gustavus (15-1, 11-0 MIAC) led St. Olaf (3-14, 2-11 MIAC) by just two at 27-25 midway through the second quarter before holding the Oles scoreless for the rest of the quarter to take a 17-point halftime lead. The 15-0 run was part of a stretch that saw Gustavus outscore St. Olaf by a 34-4 margin, resulting in a 32-point lead late in the third quarter.
The sixth-ranked Gusties were the highest-ranked opponent for the Oles since a 90-49 loss to the third-ranked University of St. Thomas on Feb. 6, 2019. Gustavus was ranked No. 6 in the country this week in both the D3hoops.com Top 25 and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25.
Rachel Kawiecki – the reigning Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Offensive Player of the Week – scored a game-high 19 points on 9-for-18 shooting and had six rebounds for Gustavus, scored 42 of its 73 points in the paint. Syd Hauger was the only other double-figure scorer for the visitors with 17 points on 6-for-8 from the field, as 11 Gusties scored in the win. Gustavus forced 26 turnovers and turned the giveaways into an 18-0 advantage in fast-break point and a 27-3 advantage in points off turnovers.
First year
Chloee Smith – this week's MIAC Defensive Player of the Week – led St. Olaf with 14 points, eight rebounds, four steals, three assists, and one blocked shot, while senior
Cayden Botten hit 5-of-7 shots on her way to 13 points. The 13-point night marked Botten's second-highest point total this season. No other Ole had more than five points in the loss.
Kawiecki scored 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting to help the Gusties to a 23-14 lead after one quarter. Tangen scored the first five points of the game for the Oles, who trailed just 12-8 four minutes in before Gustavus closed the quarter on a 11-6 run that included six points from Kawiecki.
Smith led a strong start to the second quarter for St. Olaf with seven points in the first 2:28 to make it a four-point game at 25-21. The Oles got within two twice on layups by first year
Joy Brandenstein and Botten but did not score again in the half after Tangen found Botten for a layup with 5:18 to go. Kawiecki and Hauger combined for 27 first-half points for the visitors.
Early in the third, back-to-back baskets by Smith and Botten brought St. Olaf's deficit to 15 at 44-29, but that was as close as the Oles got the rest of the way. Gustavus led by as many as 38 midway through the fourth quarter.
St. Olaf starts a home doubleheader on Saturday, Jan. 27 with a 1 p.m. tip-off against Augsburg University.
