Gustavus men’s, women’s basketball teams both win MIAC tournament titles

The Gustavus Adolphus men’s and women’s basketball teams won the MIAC playoff championships on their home floor Saturday in St. Peter, Minn., with the women winning in record fashion before the men held on for a one-point victory.

The third-seeded Gusties men held off Hamline 72-71, as Pipers semifinal hero Bradley Cimperman missed a contested jumper at the buzzer. Hamline had cut a 15-point second-half deficit to one with 98 seconds left, but neither team scored from there.

Spencer Swanson had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Gustavus (18-10), playing all 40 minutes. Brendal Ebel led Hamline (17-11) with 21 points.

It’s the Gusties’ 10th MIAC playoff title — second in conference history only to ousted St. Thomas’ 13 — but their first since 2005. The Gusties will make their 14th appearance in the Division III NCAA tournament and first since 2012.

The top-seeded Gusties women won their third consecutive conference tournament, beating Concordia (Moorhead) 66-38. The Gusties (25-2) led the Cobbers (20-5) 21-10 after a quarter and kept building from there, with the 28-point margin of victory is the largest in a title game in MIAC history — surpassing last season’s 79-57 Gusties victory over Concordia.

Emma Kniefel had 15 points for Gustavus, which shot 52.8% from the floor. Concordia shot 22.6%.

Both Gusties teams will learn their opponents in the NCAA tournament on Monday.

Helped by a win in the 4x400-meter relay, the Gophers women’s track and field team finished fourth in the Big Ten indoor championships in Geneva, Ohio.

The quartet of Jayla Campbell, Janielle Josephs, Dyandra Gray and Abigail Schaaffe finished in 3:33.83, the second-fastest time in school history, as the Gophers won the event for the third time in four indoor Big Ten Conference meets. For Schaaffe, the title is the seventh of her career between indoor and outdoor, which is a school record for a career.

They joined Gophers redshirt freshman Annie Nabwe as conference champs; Nabwe won the weight throw Friday with a lifetime-best 76 feet, 7¾ inches.

Maja Maunsbach finished third in the 60-meter hurdles at 8.14 seconds.

• Gophers senior swimmer Megan Van Berkom was named first-team All-Big Ten after three podium finishes, including a victory in the 400 individual medley, at the conference meet in West Lafayette, Ind. Sophomore Vivi Del Angel was named to the second team after earning her second diving medal Saturday, when she finished second in the platform with a score of 342.00.

The Gophers finished fifth overall with 816 points. Indiana won the event, beating Ohio State by half a point — 1,359 to 1,358.5. The championship was decided in the final event, the 400 freestyle relay, in which the Hoosiers finished second and the Buckeyes third.

• The Gophers softball team lost two games at the North Texas Invitational in Denton for the second day in a row, falling 7-6 to Texas Tech and 1-0 to Stephen F. Austin. The Gophers blew a six-run lead to the Red Raiders, who scored six runs in the sixth inning to tie it and walked off on a two-out error by second baseman Sydney Strelow in the seventh. In the second game, Aydenne Brown pitched a four-hit shutout for Stephen F. Austin.

• Jake Larson and Brady Jurgella hit home runs for the Gophers baseball team in its 8-7 loss to Northeastern in Fort Myers, Fla. Northeastern broke a 6-6 tie with a double steal in the eighth inning.

• The Gophers tennis team lost in Memphis for the second day in row, falling 4-3 to No. 48 Utah.