MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s basketball team ended its season Saturday with a 96-77 loss at Augsburg. The Gusties finish 8-17 overall and 8-12 in the MIAC for eighth place, while the Auggies enter the postseason 18-7 overall and 14-6 in the league.
After a slow start for both teams without a point in the first three minutes, a dunk by Jake Guse (So., Waseca) gave the Gusties the initial lead. The Gusties took their largest lead of the game on the next possession as Logan Rezac (Jr., Andover) nailed a three to go up 5-2, but the Auggies answered with a 14-4 run over the next five minutes and never trailed the rest of the way. Augsburg continued to add to its lead and took a 44-30 advantage into the locker room at half.
Gustavus chipped away at its deficit and twice got the score within six. A Marten Morem (So., Caledonia) layup at the 13:56 mark made the score 54-48, but again the Auggies had a strong response with a 19-6 run over the next five minutes.
Rezac posted his fourth double double of the season with a team-high 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Gusties. Kaleb Feahn (Jr., Waseca) contributed 12 points off the bench and Guse finished with 10 and four blocks.
The Gusties shot 37.8 percent from the floor and were a pedestrian 7-for-29 from three-point range. The Auggies shot 45.8 percent and made 12-of-29 treys. Gustavus hauled in a season-high 52 rebounds, but turned the ball over 14 times. The 52 rebounds are the most by Gustavus in a conference game since it recorded 57 against Macalester on Jan. 24, 1994.