Gustavus' Jess Vadnais hit the Gusties first basket with 2:16 off the clock to end a 4-0 St. Olaf start. Vadnais' three-point bucket ignited a 10-0 Gustavus run. From 5:31 to 2:36 of the first half, neither team scored a basket until Gustavus made a field goal to take a 32-23 lead. Gustavus ended the first half on a 22-13 run (42-28) with Jess Vadnais leading all scorers with 18 points. Gustavus shot 45.5 percent (15-of-33) from the field and 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) from the charity stripe, while St. Olaf shot 37.5 percent (12-of-32) from the field and 40 percent (4-of-10) from behind the three-point arc.
The Gusties scored 46 of their 75 points in the paint. Gustavus head coach Mickey Haller said they have been working on post touches and fast breaks diligently in practice.
“We've worked hard ever since Christmas to improve our fast break,” Gustavus head coach Mickey Haller said. “We have worked on it hard in practice and it has shown through in the last few games. We like to push the ball and that is what has created so many baskets in the paint. We also have been able to run the floor all game because we are able to go four players deep on the bench. The players coming off the bench are young but they have done a great job of moving the ball around and getting post touches for lay-ups.”
Gustavus opened the first 6:32 of the second half on a 14-7 run to lead 56-35. The Oles responded with a 9-0 run starting with 10:35 remaining to pull within 62-44. The Gusties ended the final 7:35 with a 13-7 rally to win 75-51. Bri Monahan led the Gusties in the second half with 10 points.
The Gusties shot 47.5 percent (28-of-59) from the field and 62.5 percent (15-of-24) from the free throw line, while St. Olaf shot 32.8 percent (19-of-58) from the field and 50 percent (8-of-16) from the charity stripe. Gustavus outrebounded St. Olaf 45-34 with a 29-20 edge on the defensive end. The Oles had 23 turnovers and the Gusties committed 20. Of the 28 field goals Gustavus made, 24 of them were assisted.
Jess Vadnais led Gustavus with 18 points, all of which came in the first half, and five assists. Bri Monahan had 15 points, nine rebounds, and three steals. Erin Boese had 14 points and nine boards and Kristin Kachelmeyer added 11 points.
St. Olaf was led by Christina Sampson with 11 points. St. Olaf's Christine Schwichtenberg and Kirsty Larson each added 8 points.
Gustavus has not lost at home since January 20, 2003 and have outscored their opponents by an average of just over 16 points per game in that span. The Gusties largest margin of victory this season prior to Wednesday was 22 points against St. Catherine's on December 6, 2004.