Friday night's game was the first NCAA Regional at Gus Young Court for the Gustavus women's basketball team. But returning players fell to a bit of déjà vu, as the No. 5 Gusties found themselves in overtime all over again to open the national tournament, after a disappointing 2-OT loss to Trine to end last year's postseason run.

"Everyone knows what happened at Trine last year," said senior Rachel Kawiecki (Richfield, Minn.). "I looked at Emma [Kniefel] and smiled and said, 'Let's do this, let's finish this game.'" And finish it they did, earning redemption on their home court with a 61-49 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 7.

"We went into overtime, and you do these shots 1,000 times throughout the season, so why not just shoot the ball?" Kawiecki added. And her mindset paid off, going 3-for-3 for six points in overtime, helping the Gusties out-score Wisconsin Lutheran 14-2 in the extra frame after having trailed the Warriors for much of the third and fourth quarters.

Both teams faced shooting woes in the first half, each shooting well below their season averages, including a mark of 29.6 percent (8-for-27) for the fifth-ranked Gusties.

"Even when we were struggling offensively in the first half, we still did a really nice job defensively," commented Head Coach Laurie Kelly. "Am I happy about the way we played offensively? No. Are we a better offensive team than that? Yes. But we're sitting here today because of what we did on defense."

And Kelly's defense, which ranked fifth in the NCAA entering Friday's game, made the first half difference, forcing 13 turnovers for 11 points and gathering eight steals through the first two frames.

Wisconsin Lutheran (21-8, 15-1 NACC) came out of the locker room with an upset in mind, dominating the paint to out-score the Gusties 16-13 and tie the game at 33 apiece heading into the final quarter. The Warriors led by as many as six, 46-40, with under four minutes to play, but an offensive burst sparked by Emma Kniefel (5th, Medford, Minn.) shifted the tides for a 21-3 Gustavus run to end the game.

With 0:19 on the clock, Kniefel hit a step-back three to tie the score at 47-47 and pour some life back into the Gustie line-up, which made key stops down the stretch to hold WLC without a field goal in the overtime period. Syd Hauger (5th, Springfield, Minn.) hit a three-pointer to put the game out of reach with 1:07 to play, while Kylie Baranick (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.) went 4-for-4 from the line, sealing the win with a pair of free throws for the 61-49 final.

Gustavus (27-1, 17-1 MIAC) shot under 40 percent through all of regulation, but went 4-for-5 from the field in overtime. The Gusties made 4-of-15 from distance, but made up the difference at the line, hitting 17-of-20 free throws.

Kniefel led the Gusties with 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting, while three others scored in double figures. Hauger finished with 14, eight of which came in the first quarter, Baranick 11, including a perfect 6-for-6 mark from the charity stripe, and Kawiecki 10. Four different players had at least five rebounds, while Kniefel led with a trio of steals and assists.

Gustavus now advances to the NCAA Second Round for the fourth time in program history. The Gusties are 1-2 in second round games. They will face No. 12 Wartburg (Iowa) at 7:30 p.m. at Gus Young Court. Wartburg (26-2,16-0 A-R-C) narrowly escaped UW-Stevens Point, winning a 57-56 nail-biter over the Pointers earlier in the evening.