ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College men’s basketball team is back on track after three consecutive losses as it defeated Augsburg College 90-76 on Saturday afternoon at Gus Young Court. The victory pushes the Gusties to 6-10 overall, and 3-8 in the MIAC, while the Auggies drop to 10-6 overall, and 5-6 in the league.
“I’m very satisfied with our performance this afternoon,” said Head Coach Mark Hanson. “We shot the ball well, especially from beyond the arc, and our defense improved significantly as well. We moved the ball, and found open players inside.”
The opening minutes of the contest proved to be even, as both teams went back and forth scoring. However, the Auggies took a slim lead at the 16:31 mark and remained ahead by as many as four points until the 12:30 mark when Alec Koster (Jr., Redwood Falls, Minn.) made a jumper to put the Gusties back up by one. Gustavus controlled the pace of the game for the remainder of the half, achieving its largest lead at the 2:16 mark from a three-pointer by Koster, making the score 45-34. By halftime, the Black and Gold found itself with a 47-39 lead.
Going into the second half, the Gusties continued to pour on the points. Gustavus went on a 9-2 run beginning at the 18:49 mark, broadening its lead to 61-46, the largest of the game. However, the Auggies continued to fight, and after finishing two back-to-back layups, were able to narrow the lead to 66-57 with 8:39 left to play. For the remainder of the half, the Gusties continued to keep their feet on the gas pedal, outshooting their opponent 53.3 to 43.5 percent in the second half.
The Gusties were led by senior Brian Jacobs (Lake Crystal, Minn.) who tallied a career high 21 points, including going 4-for-5 from beyond the arc, 7-of-10 from the floor, and added three free throws and three assists. “It felt good to get the win this afternoon, a lot of things were clicking for us,” Jacobs said. “We knew they were going to come out strong and that they were going to be tough inside. Our defense was scrappy, and we worked hard inside, getting a lot of second chance shots.”
Gary Cooper (Sr., Detroit, Mich.) was also a driving force in the Gusties victory, completing 17 points, going 8-of-15 from the floor. Cooper finished the game with seven rebounds and three assists.
The Gusties finished the game shooting 57.4 percent, while Augsburg shot 46.3 percent. The Black and Gold also shot an impressive 50 percent from beyond the arc compared to only 31.6 percent from the Auggies. Rebounding was key for the Black and Gold, as it outrebounded the Auggies 38-24, including nine offensive rebounds.
The Auggies were led by Harry Sonie who finished with 23 points, and teammate Collin Olmscheid who followed closely with 17 points and seven rebounds.
The Gusties return to action on Monday when they take on Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minn. at 7 p.m.