MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Macalester College men's basketball team lost an overtime battle to Augsburg University, 75-74 in a MIAC contest Saturday afternoon at Si Melby Hall. The Scots are now 7-7 overall and 3-6 in league play. The Auggies improve to 5-7, 3-6 MIAC.

Early in the game, Macalester opened up with a 15-9 lead following back-to-back three-pointers by junior guard Coby Gold (Denver, Colo./Kent Denver) and first year guard Kaden Holdbrook (Palo Alto, Calif./Gunn). With the Scots up 18-14, Augsburg used an 11-1 run to take a 25-19 advantage with 6:24 left in the first half. The lead was seven when Gold hit a pull-up jumper and a three-pointer to make it a two-point game, 32-30 with 2:48 on the clock. The teams exchanged threes, Austin Jentzen made two free throws and junior guard Caleb Williams (Wild Rose, Wis./Wild Rose) scored on a turnaround jumper with 33 seconds left to make the score 37-35 Auggies. With time winding down, Jentzen made a layup to send Augsburg into the halftime break with a 39-35 lead. The Auggies shot 50.0 percent from the field in the first half compared to 38.7 percent for Macalester, with Gold scoring a team-leading 11 points.

Augsburg continued to hold the upper hand into the second half, extending the lead to eight following a three-pointer by Trent Gomez that made the score 46-38 with 15:34 remaining. Sophomore guard Eric Wentz (Minot, N.D./Minot) answered with a three, sparking a 21-4 run for the Scots that saw Wentz score 10 points and Gold and Holdbrook drain three-pointers en route to a 59-50 lead with seven minutes to play. The Auggies fought back, scoring the next nine points to tie the score with 4:43 left in the game. Gold ended the cold spell with a basket, then Williams hit a three to put Macalester up, 64-59. After Jentzen scored for the Auggies, sophomore forward Ryan Brush (Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue) buried his first three-pointer of the game for a 67-61 edge with three minutes left.

Over the next two minutes of play, Augsburg held the Scots scoreless while shooting 4-of-4 from the free throw line to make it a two-point game, 67-65 with a minute remaining. After a turnover by Macalester, Jentzen scored on a put-back to tie the score at 67-67 with 26 seconds to play. A shot by Williams as time expired was off the mark, sending the game to overtime.

After the teams exchanged baskets to open the extra session, Augsburg tallied four straight points for a 73-69 lead. Holdbrook made his fifth three-pointer of the game, then a defensive stop by the Scots and a driving layup from Gold put Macalester ahead, 74-73 with 53 seconds on the clock. On the Auggies next possession, Gold drew a charge, giving the Scots the ball with 31 seconds left. Defensive pressure from Augsburg caused a Macalester turnover, and Gold fouled Elias Batala going to the basket. Batala hit both free throws for a 75-74 Auggie advantage with 15 seconds remaining. Holdbrook's three-point attempt came up short at the buzzer, giving Augsburg a one-point win.

The Auggies went to the free throw line 14 times more than Macalester, making 18-of-23 compared to 7-of-9 for the Scots. Macalester made 15 threes versus five for the hosts, but were outscored in the paint, 34-12.

Gold led the Scots with 25 points and 10 rebounds, hitting five threes in nine attempts. Holdbrook finished with 15 points, with Wentz contributing 13 points and three assists. Williams made it four Scots in double figures with 11 points. Junior guard Robert Grace IV (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School) added three steals, three assists and three points off the bench. Colin Meade led Augsburg with 18 points.

Macalester hosts Hamline in another MIAC match-up on Monday, Jan. 15. The game, which will begin after the women's game, is scheduled to start at 7:45 p.m. in the Leonard Center.