ST. PETER, Minn. – Despite a second-half rally that saw them tie the game on four occasions after being down by double digits, the Augsburg University men's basketball team dropped an 84-81 decision to Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday afternoon.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Gustavus 84, Augsburg 81
LOCATION: St. Peter, Minn.  
RECORDS: Augsburg 2-7 overall (1-5 MIAC), Gustavus 4-4 overall (4-2 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The game proved to be a close battle in the early goings with Augsburg holding a 22-16 advantage with 12:03 left in the half. The Gusties captured the momentum for the remainder of the half, outscoring the Auggies 28-14 the rest of the way to take a 44-36 lead into the locker room at halftime.
• The Auggies found a spark in the first ten minutes of the second half, chipping away at the Gustie lead before tying the game up at 60 each with 11:15 to play. The two teams matched each other blow-for-blow in the following minutes with ties at 62, 67, and 70 before the Gusties used a 6-0 run to create some breathing room. Trailing 82-77 with just 1:53 remaining, Augsburg used a jumper from Bradley Winter (SR, Winona, Minn./Winona HS) and a pair of free throws from Carson Kolles (FY, Monticello, Minn./Monticello HS) to pull within a point at 82-81 with 46 seconds on the clock. Gustavus would go on to push the lead back to three on its subsequent possession, and the deficit proved to be too much to overcome as Gustavus hung on for the 84-81 win.
•  Kayser Hasaan (FY, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS) led the offensive effort for Augsburg, pouring in a career-high 19 points on 6-14 shooting and adding five rebounds, two steals, and a block.
• Winter was extremely efficient for the Auggies, knocking down seven of his nine attempts from the floor for 17 points while adding a team-high seven rebounds. Will Blascziek (SO, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North HS) tallied 13 points and three rebounds while Conner Knoepfle (SR, Andover, Minn./Andover HS) scored 11 points with two rebounds. Kolles was the hottest hand off the bench for Augsburg, scoring nine points and pulling down three rebounds.
• As a team, the Auggies hit 26 of their 61 shots (42.6%) while Gustavus went 33-62 (53.2%). Augsburg was the more effective team on the offensive glass, winning the offensive rebound battle 12-9 and cashing those chances in for 14 points to the Gusties' eight. Augbsurg also outscored Gustavus 12-9 on fast-break opportunities.

FOR THE FOES
• Spencer Swanson finished with a game-high 21 points and 15 rebounds for Gustavus while Adam Biewen added 18 points and Brady Kienitz scored 14 off the bench.

UP NEXT
• The Auggies will now head to Winter Park, Florida for two games at the Steve Moore Sunshine Shootout, starting with a matchup against Calvin University on Monday, December 19 at 12 pm (Central Time).