ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College men's basketball team closed out the 2023-24 season with a 79-65 win over Augsburg University in the season finale Saturday afternoon in the Leonard Center. The Scots end the year with a 10-15 overall record, including a 6-14 mark in the conference. The Auggies fall to 8-17, 6-14 MIAC.

Back-to-back three-pointers by junior guard Coby Gold (Denver, Colo./Kent Denver) gave Macalester an early 12-6 lead five minutes into the game. Augsburg responded with a 14-5 run to grab a 20-17 edge midway through the half. First year guard Kaden Holdbrook (Palo Alto, Calif./Gunn) tied the game with a three, sparking an 11-5 spree for a 28-25 advantage. After the Auggies tallied the next five points, the Scots closed out the half with a 14-5 run capped by a three-pointer from junior guard Caleb Williams (Wild Rose, Wis./Wild Rose) at the buzzer that sent Macalester into the halftime break with a 42-35 lead. Williams had nine points in the run and 16 points in the first half. The Scots out-rebounded Augsburg 23-16 and scored 15 points off 10 offensive rebounds in the first half.

After Trent Gomez opened the second half with a three-pointer for the Auggies, Gold and sophomore forward Ryan Brush (Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue) hit back-to-back threes for a 10-point lead, 48-38 with 16 minutes left. The threes ignited Macalester's offense, which drained six three-pointers in a 29-9 run over the first 12 minutes of the second half for a commanding 71-44 Scots' lead. The bulge was still 27, 73-46, when Augsburg went on an 18-2 run to cut the deficit to 11, 75-64 with two minutes left. That's as close as the Auggies would get, as Macalester earned a split in the season series with a 79-65 win.

The Scots committed just five turnovers for the game while dishing out 20 assists. Williams led all scorers with 22 points to go with five rebounds and three steals. Gold was right behind Williams with 21 points, eight boards and seven assists. Brush hit 4-of-9 from three-point range to finish with 12 points, while junior forward Armando Akapo-Nwagbo (Owerri, Nigeria/Pomona) grabbed 14 rebounds to go with seven points. Nine of his rebounds came on the offensive glass.

Elias Batala led Augsburg with 13 points.