St. Ben’s opened the first half on a 5-0 run with Anna Heikenen scoring all of the Blazers points during this span. After the Gusties pulled within one (5-4), the Blazers went on a 10-2 run before Gustavus’ Kirsten Kachelmyer hit a jumper from the middle of the lane to cut the St. Ben’s lead to 15-8 with 13:51 remaining in the first half. Gustavus pulled within four (19-15) with 9:47 to play in the first half off a three pointer by Lacy Skoog. However, St. Ben’s went on a 15-3 run in the next 6:33 to take a 34-18 lead with 3:14 remaining. Gustavus shot 4-of-17 from the lane in the first half, while St. Ben’s shot 13-of-23 from the lane, including 11 lay-ups.
St. Ben’s opened the first 4:22 of the second half on a 12-2 run to extend its lead to 26 points (50-24). The Gusties cut the lead to as few as 22 points with 11:56 to play in the contest. However, the Blazers expanded their lead to a game-high 27 points (62-35) with 6:34 to play in the game. The Gusties finished the last 6:15 on a 15-5 rally but fell short by 17 points losing 67-50.
Gustavus struggled offensively shooting 29 percent (18-62) from the field, including 16.7 percent (2-12) from the three point line and 57.1 percent (12-21) from the free throw line. St. Ben’s shot an impressive 52.1 percent (25-48) from the field, 33.3 percent (3-9) from behind the arc, and 77.8 percent (14-18) from the charity stripe.
Gustavus was led by Jess Vadnais with 12 points, including a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe. Lacy Skoog and Kristin Kachelmyer each contributed seven points for the Gusties, while Sara Boldt tallied six points and seven rebounds. St. Ben’s was led by Anna Heikenen with 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. Jen Dalhed tallied nine points, while senior Kim Johnson tacked on eight points and 10 boards.
Gustavus had its second lowest offensive output of the season Wednesday evening scoring 50 points. The Gusties have only allowed more points in one game this season in a 72-71 victory in their first game of the season on November 23 against Wartburg.
The Gusties will be in action at Hamline Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.