ST. PETER, Minn. — There were plenty of playoff ramifications when the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota and Gustavus women's basketball teams squared off Saturday.
The teams headed into the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown with identical 9-6 conference records—not to mention 15-7 overall marks—and were among three teams tied for third place in the race for one of the MIAC's six playoff berths.
A win on Saturday would put either the Cardinals or Gusties in the driver's seat for the No. 3 spot.
A loss, and it's a must-win scenario over the game's final week of the regular season.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, it was the Gusties who had the pedal to the metal from the get-go, as Gustavus erupted for 42 first-half points in handing Saint Mary's a 75-47 setback at Gus Young Court.
Gustavus wasted little time taking control, scoring the game's first three baskets for a quick 6-0 lead. The Gusties would push that lead to 26-20 with 6:10 remaining—and over those final six minutes, GAC used a half-ending 16-2 run to grab its biggest lead of the half, 42-22, at the break.
And things didn't get any better for the Cardinals over the game's final 20 minutes, as Gustavus once again scored the first six points of the half and outscored Saint Mary's 33-25 in the second half to secure the win.
Alexa Huisman (Adrian, Minn.) and
Micaela Meredith (Bloomington, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinals with eight points apiece, while
Emma Schaefer (Falcon Heights, Minn.) and
Shelby Auseth (Wanamingo, Minn.) each chipped in seven.
The Cardinals shot 38 percent from the field (18-for-48), hitting 3 of 14 3-point attempts and going 8-for-12 from the free throw line
Mikayla Miller netted a game-high 20 points for the Gusties, while Lindsey Joihnson and Stephanie Klockmann finished with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
With the loss, the Cardinals fall into a tie with Concordia for fourth place, one game behind the Gusties and one in front of both Augsburg and Saint Benedict with two games remaining.
The Cardinals close out the regular season with a pair of home games next week, hosting Carleton on Wednesday (7 p.m.) and Macalester (3 p.m.) on Saturday at the Saint Mary's Gym.
