TACOMA, Wash. — The Augsburg University men's basketball team erased a 12-point second-half deficit to tie the game at 74-74 with 2:19 left, but host Pacific Lutheran scored the eventual game-winning basket with 22 seconds left to claim a 79-78 win on Saturday night. Leading all players with 33 points, Augsburg's
JJ Semanko tied a career high and marked his 12th game with 20 or more points in his 29-game college career.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) 79, Augsburg 78
LOCATION: Olson Auditorium, Tacoma, Wash.
RECORDS: Augsburg 1-1 overall, Pacific Lutheran 2-0 overall
GAME RECAP
The Auggies scored 45 points after halftime after trailing 41-33 at the break, and the game finished with eight ties and seven lead changes. The Auggies had 11 steals and forced 16 Pacific Lutheran turnovers, turning them into 15 points while adding 38 points in the paint.
Semanko scored the Auggies' first two baskets, but Pacific Lutheran moved in front 11-7 on Noah Gathings' 3-pointer and fast-break layup. The Lutes committed six turnovers during the ensuing stretch, and Semanko scored on a jumper, two free throws and a fast-break layup before
Elias Batala's two free throws gave the Auggies a 15-11 lead. Pacific Lutheran came back on Paul Hobson's 3-pointer for a 16-15 lead,
Ali Axmed answered with a 3-pointer at 9:48, and Semanko added two layups and two free throws as the Auggies went ahead 24-21 before the teams reached a 24-24 tie.
Batala's fast-break dunk put the Auggies ahead 27-24, and his later layup made it 29-27, but Pacific Lutheran moved from a 29-29 tie to a 38-29 lead before Henry Smith hit a 3-pointer with :05 left to send the hosts into halftime ahead 41-33.
Pacific Lutheran scored the first two baskets of the second half, with Henry Smith finishing inside and Daniel Kabamba adding a layup at 18:22 to put the Auggies behind 45-33. The Auggies worked back through Semanko, Muhammad and Axmed, and after Pacific Lutheran was ahead 72-66 with 5:38 left,
Keenan Rodriguez scored in transition, Muhammad added a free throw and Semanko made two free throws to keep the margin at 74-71.
Axmed tied the game at 74-74 with a 3-pointer at 2:19, and Batala put the Auggies ahead 76-74 with a layup at 1:36 before Caleb Berry tied it for Pacific Lutheran at 1:09. Semanko's two free throws gave the Auggies a 78-76 lead with 52 seconds left, but Gathings hit a 3-pointer with 22 seconds remaining, and the Auggies missed two late shots as Pacific Lutheran held on 79-78.
AUGSBURG PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
•
JJ Semanko:33 points, 12/21 field goals made, 9/9 free throws made, 9 rebounds
•
Hanif Muhammad: 17 points, 5 steals, 4 assists
•
Elias Batala: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
•
Ali Axmed: 9 points, 3/5 3-pointers made, 2 assists
PACIFIC LUTHERAN PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
• Noah Gathings: 18 points, 8/8 free throws made, 3 steals, 4 assists
• Charlie Kapranos: 18 points, 2 assists
• Henry Smith: 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists
UP NEXT
The Auggies host Marian University in a nonconference game on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 6 p.m. at Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis.
