The top two women’s basketball teams in the MIAC – the Bethel University Royals and Gustavus Adolphus College Gusties – matched up at Bethel University’s Robertson Center gym Saturday afternoon. Bethel stole a 72-58 victory in its first matchup at Gustavus Jan. 18, and with a win Saturday, would remain undefeated in conference play and extend its win streak to 11.
By the end of the first quarter, however, those dreams fell to pieces. Gustavus led 16-6, thanks almost entirely to Bethel’s nine turnovers which the Gusties turned into 10 of their 16 points.
“It all goes back to that first quarter,” Royals head coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer said. “We cannot let them come out and they dictated the way the game was played. We had to play and win the game on their terms.”
By halftime, the Royals’ turnover issues seemed resolved, as they committed just one more before halftime, but the initial 10-point lead still grew to 13 for Gustavus.
For every score the Royals found, the Gusties found their own.
“We were not able to get the key stop,” Herbrechtsmeyer said. “You gotta play your A-game. If we had, we would have won. Our A-game [versus] their A-game, we’re coming out ahead.”
Herbrechtsmeyer added he felt the Royals rather played a C+ or B- game.
Coming out of halftime, the Royals’ new strategy involved sending every possession into the paint. Gustavus fouled Bethel six times, resulting in 12 free throw attempts for the Royals. They made nine of them.
As a result, Gustavus outscored Bethel by just one in the third quarter, despite outshooting the Royals 69.2% to 41.7%.
But that 10-point first quarter still meant it was a 14-point game entering the last 10 minutes of play.
The lively Robertson Center, packed with supporters from both sides, grew louder as the Royals continued going toe-to-toe with the No. 8-ranked team in Division III.
In the fourth quarter, Bethel outscored Gustavus 16-14, and it could have been more.
With 5:47 remaining, Royals’ sophomore guard Macey Littlefield canned a three-pointer to make it a 10-point game. After the Royals forced a stop, they had the opportunity to cut the lead to single digits for the first time since the first quarter. Instead, Littlefield missed a layup.
It was one of six misses by the Royals within the restricted area in the fourth quarter.
A jumpshot by graduate guard Anna Garfield cut Gustavus’ lead to 10 again with 55 seconds to play, but by then it was too late.
The Gusties ran out what clock they could before Bethel ran out its own 20 seconds looking for a 12-point shot. Garfield turned the ball over, and Gustavus ended the game with that 12-point lead.
“If those layups go in,” Herbrechtsmeyer said. “We could’ve been ahead in the fourth quarter.”
Now, the top of the MIAC is tied up. Both Gustavus and Bethel hold 13-1 conference records and each have four games remaining. Of the Gusties’ four remaining opponents, three currently do not hold playoff spots. Meanwhile, Bethel is set to play three teams which do currently hold playoff spots.
If Bethel hadn’t gone down 10 in the first quarter, they may be looking at a much different projection. If they’d beat Gustavus, they likely would go on to win the MIAC outright. But, alas…
“Ifs and buts,” Herbrechtsmeyer said. “We weren’t quite as good tonight. That’s where it lies.”
