MINNEAPOLIS – The Augsburg University men's basketball team dropped a high-scoring thriller to Gustavus Adolphus College on Saturday afternoon, falling 84-82 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action at Si Melby Hall.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Gustavus 84, Augsburg 82
LOCATION: Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 6-13 overall (4-10 MIAC), Gustavus 9-10 overall (9-5 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Auggies controlled a majority of the first half of play, holding a lead for more than 13 minutes while Gustavus held the advantage for just three minutes. Despite the lopsided time with the lead, neither team was able to create much separation in the first half as Augsburg's eight-point lead with 14:27 on the clock proved to be the biggest of the opening 20 minutes. At halftime, the two teams were knotted up at 36 each.  
• The Gusties flipped the script and held the lead for more than 18 minutes in the second half, but the Auggies never let the game get out of hand as they never trailed by more than eight. Trailing by eight with under a minute to play, Augsburg's Will Blascziek (SO, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North HS) knocked down consecutive three-pointers to pull the Auggies within two. It proved to be all they could do, however, as Gustavus knocked down both free throws on each of their subsequent possessions to put the game away.
• Blascziek set a new career high with 26 points on 10-21 shooting from the floor. He was extremely efficient from beyond the arc with a 6-11 shooting clip, also tallying three rebounds, two steals, and two blocked shots. It was Blascziek's 12^th game in double figures in his 19 appearances this season.
• Colin Meade (JR, Rochester, Minn./Lourdes HS) logged the first double-double of his career with a 17-point, 10-rebound afternoon. Meade made the most of his opportunities from the free throw line, knocking down all six of his attempts. Conner Knoepfle (SR, Andover, Minn./Andover HS) also had a strong afternoon, scoring 19 points on 7-14 shooting. Caden Scales (JR, Richfield, Minn./Eastview HS) was the top contributor off the bench with eight points on a perfect 3-3 shooting performance.
• The Auggies narrowly won the turnover margin 12-13 and cashed in those turnovers for 17 points while Gustavus managed just nine. The game showcased a major difference in strategy as Augsburg went 12-26 (46.2%) from three-point range while Gustavus made just one three-pointer on five attempts (20.0%)

FOR THE FOES
• Spencer Swanson led all scorers with a 27-point, 14 rebound double-double.

UP NEXT
• The Auggies will travel to Arden Hills, Minn. to take on Bethel University on Monday, January 30 at 7 pm.