SAINT PETER, Minn. – The No. 21 Gustavus women’s basketball team will look to bounce back after two straight losses when they host No. 15 Augsburg on Saturday for a 3 p.m. contest. The Gusties enter the contest 11-3 overall and 7-2 in the MIAC while the Auggies are 12-2 overall and 8-1 in league play.
The Series: Saturday’s game marks the 73rd meeting between the two teams with Gustavus currently holding a 60-12 edge. The Gusties and Auggies last met on Feb. 6, 2019 with Augsburg taking a 77-68 victory.
Scouting the Gusties: Gustavus has dropped its past two contests, most recently falling to Concordia 75-65 Wednesday. Through 14 contests Gustavus ranks third in the MIAC with 72.7 points per contest, while their 57.4 points allowed is also the third best in the league. The Black and Gold have been especially strong at defending the three-point arc, allowing opponents to make just 26.7 percent of shots, the lowest percentage in the conference. Caitlin Rorman leads the Gustie offense with 15.6 points per game on 62.0 percent shooting, to go along with a team-best 6.7 rebounds. Ava Gonsorowski and Paige Richert each also average double figures with marks of 13.4 and 10.7, respectively, with Gonsorowski boasting a team-high 3.4 assists.
Scouting the Auggies: Augsburg is most recently coming off a 72-61 win over St. Catherine on Wednesday. The Auggies are second in the conference in scoring through 14 games with 73.2 points, while they allow 58.6 points which ranks fourth. Although the Auggies shoot just 41.0 percent from the field they value their possessions, turning it over a MIAC-low 12.7 times per game. Tamira McLemore and Camryn Speese lead the offense for Augsburg, averaging 15.6 and 12.9 points per game, respectively. Speese also adds 6.1 rebounds per game, while McLemore adds a team-high 3.0 steals.