The Gustavus men’s basketball team improved to 10-3 overall and 5-3 in the MIAC with a 59-46 win over Augsburg in Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon. The Gusties were led by junior post Jay Stien who contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds.
The Gusties got off to a slow start once again and trailed the Auggies 17-9 with 6:30 left to play in the first half. Coach Mark Hanson’s squad outscored Augsburg 12-5 the rest of the half and trailed 22-21 at the intermission. Gustavus struggled from the field making only 8-of-19 from the field (42.1%) including 0-of-5 from behind the arc.
Gustavus scored the first nine points of the second half and led 29-22 with 17:49 left in the game. The Gusties used a three-point basket by freshman Mike DesLauriers to take an 11-point lead (38-27) at the 13:45 mark. Gustavus would maintain its double-digit lead the remainder of the game. The Gusties’ biggest lead was 14 points, which it held three different times in the second half.
Jay Stien turned in his finest performance of the season for Gustavus. He made 7-of-10 shots from the field and finished with 15 points. He also hauled down 10 rebounds. The only other player in double figures for the Gusties was Trevor Wittwer who contributed 13 points. Junior wing Andrew Olson scored four points on 1-of-7 shooting and was held under double-digits for the first time in 13 games this season.
The Gusties will travel to St. Paul to face Macalester on Monday night.