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.
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 (6'5''-F) 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 (6'2''-G) (16), Wyatt Olson (6'6''-G) (12), and Evan Wieker (6'4''-F) (10).
-Hamline's Brendan Ebel (6'3''-G) 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 (6'4''-F)'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.

MIAC Final: Gustavus - Hamline 72-71

MIAC Semifinals:
Saint John's - Hamline 80-83
Carleton - Gustavus 116-124

MIAC Quarterfinals:
Hamline - Concordia 73-55
Gustavus - Bethel 85-80

Courtesy of miacathletics.com

Player of the Year: Luke Harris (6'1''-G) of Carleton
Defensive Player of the Year: Austin Holt (6'6''-F) of Hamline
Rookie of the Year: Sam Koelling (6'5''-F) of Carleton
Coach of the Year: Pat McKenzie of St.John's, MN

All-MIAC First Team 2024

Banovetz

Berg

Cimperman

Doely

Harris

First Team
Matt Banovetz (6'7''-F) of Carleton
Blake Berg (6'4''-G) of St.John's, MN
Bradley Cimperman (6'4''-F) of Hamline
Zach Doely (6'7''-F) of Bethel, MN
Luke Harris (6'1''-G) of Carleton
Austin Holt (6'6''-F) of Hamline
Matthew Johnson (6'1''-G) of Concordia, MN
Kobe Kirk (6'4''-F) of St.Olaf
Rowan Nelson (6'6''-F) of Concordia, MN
Wyatt Olson (6'6''-G) of Gustavus
Connor Martin (6'2''-G) of St.Olaf
Spencer Swanson (6'5''-F) of Gustavus
Ryan Thissen (6'6''-F) of St.John's, MN
Payton Thomsen (6'2''-G) of Bethel, MN
Kooper Vaughn (6'1''-G) of St.John's, MN
Caleb Williams (6'2''-G) of Macalester

All-MIAC Honorable Mention 2024

Buysman

Goetz

Gold

Mallory

Honorable Mention
Breyton Buysman (6'4''-G) of St.Mary's, MN
Jacob Cook (6'6''-F) of Concordia, MN
Spencer Goetz (6'3''-F) of Carleton
Coby Gold (6'2''-G) of Macalester
Cameron Mallory (6'5''-G) of St.Mary's, MN

MIAC All-Tournament Team 2024

Berg

Biewen

Cimperman

Harris

Holt

Kidder

All-Tournament Team
Blake Berg (6'4''-G) of St.John's, MN
Adam Biewen (6'5''-F) of Gustavus
Bradley Cimperman (6'4''-F) of Hamline
Luke Harris (6'1''-G) of Carleton
Austin Holt (6'6''-F) of Hamline
Joey Kidder (6'4''-G) of Bethel, MN
Rowan Nelson (6'6''-F) of Concordia, MN
Wyatt Olson (6'6''-G) of Gustavus
Spencer Swanson (6'5''-F) of Gustavus