ST. PAUL, Minn. – Trailing by seven midway through the second half, the Macalester College men's basketball team came back to beat Augsburg University, 67-63 in a MIAC contest Saturday afternoon in the Leonard Center. The Scots improve to 6-12 overall and 3-6 in the conference, while the Auggies drop to 8-10, 4-5 MIAC.
The first half remained close throughout, with neither team leading by more than five points. A three-pointer from senior guard
Robert Grace IV (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School) and baskets by junior forward
Ryan Brush (Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue) and junior guard
Eric Wentz (Minot, N.D./Minot) helped Macalester take a 23-19 lead with 5:27 left in the half. Augsburg closed out the half with a 12-3 run to take a 31-26 advantage at the break. Both teams struggled from the field, with the Scots shooting 34.4 percent compared to 32.4 percent for the Auggies.
Early in the second half, back-to-back threes by Grace and Brush briefly put Macalester on top, 32-31. Augsburg responded by scoring the next six points, eventually building a 47-40 lead with 12 minutes remaining. Brush, first year guard
Logan Davis (Kensington, Md./Bethesda Chevy Chase) and senior guard
Marcus Crawford (Edina, Minn./Edina) drained threes to spark the Scots' comeback with a 16-4 run to lead, 56-51 with eight minutes left. Later in the half, a three from Wentz and a basket by first year guard
JP Kerrigan (Atherton, Calif./Sacred Heart Prep) pushed the lead to eight, 63-55 with 2:41 to play.
The Auggies came to within four points three times in the final two minutes but were unable to get any closer, as Macalester earned a split in the season series with Augsburg. The Scots shot 57-1 percent from the field in the second half to fuel the comeback. Brush finished with 15 points to lead Macalester. Wentz contributed 13 points and seven rebounds, while Kerrigan had 10 points and a career-best 10 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double. Grace had nine points and three assists, and Davis came off the bench to score eight points, all in the second half, for his best game as a Scot. Will Blascziek led all players with 19 points.
Macalester heads to Gustavus on Wednesday, Jan. 29 for a MIAC game, which starts at 7:30 p.m. in St. Peter, Minn.
