ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College men's basketball team dropped a MIAC game at Augsburg College, 78-70 Wednesday night at Si Melby Hall. The loss gives the Scots a 9-15 record overall, including a 5-14 mark in the conference. The Auggies improve to 11-13, 9-10 MIAC with the win.
Macalester trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half following a 13-0 Augsburg run that made the score 22-11 with 10:19 on the clock. The lead was eight, 29-21 with 5:30 left in the half when the Scots closed out the half with a 10-2 run to tie the score at 31-31. Senior center
Kareem Ismail (Pasadena, Calif./Flintridge Prep) scored four points, sophomore forward
Isaac Siegel (Amherst, Mass./Amherst Regional) hit a three and sophomore guard
Carl Salvino (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt) converted a conventional three-point play in the run.
In the second half, the lead changed hands eight times in the first 4:22, with the Auggies eventually breaking through with a 12-3 run for a 51-44 advantage. Augsburg held a 58-50 lead when five points from sophomore guard
Michael Gutierrez (Stillwater, Minn./St. Croix Prep Academy) and four from junior guard
Gunnar Goeden (Appleton, Wis./Appleton North) sparked an 11-4 spree that made it a one-point game, 62-61 with 6:15 to play.
The lead was 68-66 with 3:36 remaining when the Auggies reeled off 10 straight points, including threes from Kevin McKiernan and Richie Perea, to take a commanding 78-68 edge with 1:21 left. The Scots only managed a Gutierrez tip-in the rest of the way, as Augsburg completed the season sweep of Macalester. The Auggies shot 52.8 percent from the field for the game compared to 45.2 percent for the Scots.
Ismail followed up Monday's 28-point effort in the win over Saint John's with 26 points and six rebounds. Gutierrez racked up 18 points, seven rebounds and a career-high 10 assists while making 4-of-8 from three-point range. Collin Olmscheid led Augsburg with 22 points.
Macalester closes out the 2016-17 season with a road game at Hamline University on Saturday, Feb. 18. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m. in St. Paul, Minn.
