ST. PETER, Minn. – For the tenth time in program history and the first time since 2005, the Gustavus Golden Gusties are headed to the NCAA Tournament as Men's Basketball Playoff champions of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC).
In a finish worthy of the tournament, the No. 3 Gusties defeated No. 4 Hamline, 72-71, in the MIAC Men's Basketball Playoff Championship on Saturday night.
| Box Score |
Gustavus now heads to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament as the automatic qualifier from the MIAC. It is the 14th NCAA Tournament berth all-time for the Gusties and the program's first since an at-large berth in 2012.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Gustavus jumped out to a ten-point lead by halftime before Hamline closed the gap, outscoring the Gusties by a margin of 43-to-34 in the second half.
-Gustie forward Spencer Swanson led the team in scoring with 17 points to go along with a team-high 10 rebounds in 40 minutes of play. Swanson led a group of four Gusties in double figures, including Brady Kienitz (16), Wyatt Olson (12), and Evan Wieker (10).
-Hamline's Brendan Ebel scored a game-high 21 points while shooting 9-for-12 from the field and 2-for-3 from long range.
-The Pipers took over possession with eight seconds left in regulation and a chance to win a second straight playoff game by beating the buzzer; however, Bradley Cimperman's shot came up short and the Gusties hung on for a 72-71 win to close out an outstanding MIAC Playoff.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
-With the victory, Gustavus earned the MIAC's automatic qualifier to the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. This is the program's 14th Tournament berth and first since 2012.
-The Playoff title is the tenth for Gustavus, which previously won the MIAC tournament in 1987, 1989, 1992, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, and 2005. Only St. Thomas (13) has won more MIAC men's basketball playoff titles than the Gusties.
-Regular season MIAC champion Saint John's (#6) appeared in the season's final NCAA Region IX Rankings last week. Depending on how the automatic qualifiers from other area conferences shake out, the MIAC could see multiple teams receive NCAA Tournament bids on Monday.
UP NEXT
-Gustavus received the MIAC Playoff championship plaque and the Conference's automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Regionally-ranked Saint John's and the rest of the MIAC will eagerly await Selection Monday to see if the league sends any additional teams to the NCAA Tournament via at-large bids. The NCAA will announce the national tournament field during its annual selection show on NCAA.com on Monday, February 26.
2024 MIAC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals | Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024 | 7:00 PM |
No. 3 Gustavus 85, No. 6 Bethel 80 | Box Score |
No. 4 Hamline 73, No. 5 Concordia 55 | Box Score |
Semifinals | Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 | 7:00 PM |
No. 4 Hamline 83, No. 1 Saint John's 80 | Box Score |
No. 3 Gustavus 124, No. 2 Carleton 116 (2OT) | Box Score |
Championship | Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024 | 7:00 PM |
No. 3 Gustavus 72, No. 4 Hamline 71 | Box Score |
| 2024 MIAC Men's Basketball Playoffs |