SAINT PETER, Minn – The Gustavus men’s basketball team returns to Gus Young Court Saturday after three straight road games to host Augsburg for a 1 p.m. tipoff. The Gusties are 6-9 overall and 6-4 in the MIAC while the Auggies are 10-3 overall and 6-2 in conference.
THE SERIES: Saturday’s contest is the 184th meeting between Gustavus and Augsburg on the hardwood. The Gusties lead the overall series 109-74, but the Auggies are currently riding a three-game winning streak. The Gusties last win came on Dec. 6, 2017 in Minneapolis when Riley Sharbono hit four clutch free throws in the final seconds to give Gustavus a 64-62 victory.
SCOUTING THE GUSTIES: Gustavus is coming off a 78-58 win over Concordia Wednesday in Moorhead, Minn. The Gusties have also won three of their last four contests. Kaleb Feahn, Logan Rezac, and Nolan Malo are all averaging double digits with 14.6, 13.7 and 10.1, respectively. Rezac is also productive on the boards, gathering a team high 6.3 rebounds, followed by teammates Jake Guse and CJ Woda with 6.1 and 4.4, respectively. As a team, Gustavus distributes the ball well, as it leads the conference with 17.1 assists per game. The Gusties also lead the conference in blocks per game with 4.7, and Guse leads all players individually with 2.5 blocks per game.
SCOUTING THE AUGGIES: Augsburg currently sits at second in the conference at points per game with an average of 80.5, thanks in large part to their league-leading 40.4 three-point field goal percentage. The Auggies are right behind Gustavus in assists and blocks with 16.7 and 3.4, respectively. Augsburg has proven to take advantage of its opportunities at the free throw line, leading the league with a 78.8 free throw percentage. Booker Coplin, last year’s NCAA Division III Player of the Year, leads the team and the MIAC with 22.0 points per game to go along with 9.0 rebounds per game. Henry Mulligan and Matt Carik have both shot the ball well from behind the arc, ranking second and third in the conference with a 50.0 and 49.2 three-point field goal percentage, respectively. Carik averages 13.8 points while Mulligan puts up 12.4 points per game.