WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team gave Augsburg all it could handle Saturday afternoon at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
In fact, the Cardinals had the Auggies on the ropes in the game's final three minutes, rallying from a 12-point halftime deficit to take a 50-49 lead.
 
Unfortunately, Augsburg came off the ropes swinging, scoring 16 unanswered points—including 13 free throws—to escape with a 65-53 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory.
 
Augsburg used an early 22-6 burst to turn a 5-5 deadlock into a 27-11 advantage with just over six minutes remaining in the first half, and the Auggies would settle for a 37-25 lead heading into the locker room at the break.
 
The Cardinals came out swinging in the second half, pulling even, 44-44, on back-to-back Mark Schumacher (Perham, Minn.) layups with 7:30 left in regulation.
 
A Ronnie Ortiz (Dayton, Ohio) jumper gave Saint Mary's its first lead, 48-47, and Saint Mary's would lead again, 50-49, on a Wylie Ferron (Waconia, Minn.) put-back with just over three minutes to play.
 
From there, however, it was all Augsburg, as the Auggies—fueled by that 16-0 run and 13-for-14 effort from the free throw line—outscored Saint Mary's 16-3 down the stretch for their second straight conference win.
 
Ortiz was the only Cardinal to score in double figures, tossing in a game-high 15 points on 6 of 9 shooting—including a pair of 3-pointers. As a team, the Cardinals shot 37 percent from the field (20 of 54) and were 9-for-18 from the free throw line.
 
Ryan Gilmer netted 12 points, and Parker Hines and Brett Rasmussen each added 11 for the Auggies, who finished 19 of 50 from the field (38 percent) and 22 of 31 from the free throw line.
 
The Cardinals (1-1 MIAC, 1-1 overall) are right back in action on Monday, hosting Bethel in a 7:45 p.m. conference game at the Saint Mary's Gym.