The Gusties, who are 57-12 at home in the past five seasons, got off to a quick start, leading 14-6 at the 14:34 mark of the opening half. Gustavus continued to build on its lead, extending its advantage to as many as 11 points (20-9) with 11:13 to play in the first half. The Norse pulled to within 39-33 with 1:49 remaining in the first half before the Gusties answered with a 9-2 run to take a 48-35 lead into halftime. TeBrake led the Gusties with 20 points in the first half, including 4-of-5 from behind the arc. Both teams shot above 50 percent from the field, including 59.4 percent for the Gusties (19-of-32) and 55.6 percent for the Norse (15-of-27).
Gustavus opened the second half with an 8-0 offensive spurt to lead 56-35 with 15:57 left in the game. The Gusties continued its offensive success, pushing their advantage to a game-high 30 points (84-54) with 4:05 remaining in the game. Luther finished the final four minutes with an 11-4 rally, but could not overcome the large deficit. With the 88-65 win Saturday, Gustavus improved its record to 11-5 in season openers under Head Coach Mark Hanson. Also, the Gusties have now won 12 of their last 14 games at Gus Young Court.
For the game, Gustavus shot an impressive 55.6 percent (35-63) from the field, 37.5 percent (6-16) from the three-point line, and shot well as a team from the free throw line, shooting 85.7 percent (12-14). Luther shot 47.2 percent (25-53) from the field, 50 percent (3-6) from behind the arc, and 63.2 percent (12-19) from the charity stripe.
TeBrake led the Gusties with 24 points, while Olson added 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field and Sowden contributed a double-double with 13 points and 15 boards. Sophomore Trevor Wittwer (Redwood Falls, Minn.) also played well for the Gusties, tallying 11 points and six rebounds.
Tony Brantner and Jake Lappe combined for 24 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Norse, while Andy Rump added nine points and Drew Devine chipped in seven points and four rebounds.
Luther has been either the first or second opponent on the Gustavus schedule every season dating back to 1991-92. The Gusties are now 11-4 in those match-ups and 15-9 overall against the Norse.
The Gusties, who are now 1-0 overall, will be back in action Tuesday in Storm Lake, Iowa in a non-conference game against Buena Vista University at 8 p.m.