The Gustavus women’s basketball team held off a furious second half rally by Augsburg and claimed a 61-59 win in Minneapolis on Wednesday night. The Gusties are now 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the MIAC.
The Gusties got off to a very fast start and used a 19-4 run through the middle 10 minutes of the half to take a 15-point, 28-13 lead. Gustavus led at 36-19 at halftime.
The Gusties maintained their double-digit lead throughout most of the second half, however Augsburg used a 15-4 run over the last eight minutes of play to pull within two points at 61-59 on a layup by Christa Suedbeck with :11 seconds left to play. Gustavus was able to run the clock out and claim the narrow victory.
Four Gustavus players finished in double figures including Bri Radtke with 11, and Julia Schultz, Katie Layman, and Molly Mathiowetz with 10 points each.
Gustavus shot 41.9 percent from the field (18-43) and 78.6 percent from the free throw line (22-28).
The Gusties will now break for finals and return to play with a non-conference contest at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 4:00 pm.