The Gustavus Adolphus women’s basketball team managed to build a 15-point lead with 14:49 remaining in the second half. Unfortunately, that was when the scoring stopped as Augsburg went on to outscore the Gusties 25-7 en route to a 57-54 win in Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon. The final offensive run was a team effort as seven different players scored for the Auggies.
Both squads fought back-and-forth for the lead in a first-half that featured ten lead changes before Gustavus went on an 8-1 run for a 34-27 halftime lead. Brittany Holm (Fy., Benson, Minn.) came off the bench to chip in six points during the run. The Gustie bench contributed 13 points to help lift the Gustavus during the first half.
The Golden Gustie offense picked up where they left off at the end of the first half on the way to building a 15-point lead after a Jess Vadnais (Sr., Hudson, Wis.) three-point shot five minutes into the second half. From that point Augsburg began to chip away at the lead, while allowing the Gustavus offense only two field goals in the rest of the game. Vicky Peterson (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) scored the last Gustavus field goal with 3:04 left in the contest. The Gusties held on to the lead until Kristina Lurken hit a jump shot with 46 seconds left to give Augsburg its first lead since 3:10 left in the first half. Gustavus had its chances, but was unable to hit key shots on two offensive possessions.
Jess Vadnais scored a game-high 19 points with 14 points coming in the first half. Brittany Holm scored ten points off the bench as the only other Gustie to hit double-digits. Gustavus shot 39% from the floor, while shooting 52% from the free throw line. Shannon Renne paced the Auggies with 17 points and five rebounds, while Katie LaGrave chipped in 10 points. Christa Suedbeck pulled down 14 rebounds to go along with six points in the winning effort. Augsburg shot a low 38% from the field, but was able to score 21 points on 22 Gustavus turnovers.
Gustavus drops to 1-1 overall on the season and 1-1 in league play, while Augsburg improves to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the MIAC. The Gusties will continue MIAC play when the squad takes on Bethel on Monday night in Arden Hills at 7:30 pm.