MENOMONIE, Wis. -- Newcomer Camryn Speese (FY, Bloomington, Minn./DeLaSalle HS) converted the game-winning layup with 5.3 seconds remaining, as the Augsburg College women's basketball team claimed an exciting 79-77 season-opening victory over the University of Wisconsin Stout in nonconference action on Tuesday night.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 79, UW-Stout 77
LOCATION: Johnson Fieldhouse, Menomonie, Wis.
RECORDS: Augsburg 1-0 overall, UW-Stout 0-1 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Augsburg newcomers had a breakout night in their Auggie debuts scoring 72 of the teams 79 points. Leading the way offensively was Aiza Wilson (FY, Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle HS) who scored 21 points, including 5-of-9 from three-point range, while Tamira McLemore (FY, Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS) added 16 points and an impressive nine assists.
• Also scoring in double figures for the Auggies was Abby Jordan (FY, Rogers, Minn./Rogers HS), who finished with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. K'Aezha Wubben (FY, Minneapolis, Minn./Hopkins HS) added 12 points and four rebounds for the Auggies.
• Speese led Augsburg on the boards pulling down a team-best nine rebounds, while adding nine points and a pair of assists. Hannah Steinhaus (JR, Waterville, Minn./Waterville-Elysian-Morristown HS) picked up a team-high four steals.
• Augsburg rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit, outscoring UW-Stout 28-11 in the third quarter to take a two-point lead, 59-57, at the end of the period. Augsburg trailed by five points, 69-64, with 5:54 left, but rallied back to take a 77-73 lead with 1:32 left. UW-Stout tied the game at 77-77 with 18 seconds left, but Speese converted a driving layup with 5.3 seconds left to give the Auggies the lead for good.
• For the game, Augsburg shot 45.6 percent (31-of-68), while UW-Stout hit 47.6 percent (30-of-63) of its shot attempts.
• The Auggies hit an impressive 13 three-pointers on the night, converting 54.2 percent from 3-point range (13-of-24). The last time the Auggies made 13 three-pointers in a game dates back to a December 18, 2014 win over Northwestern when Augsburg hit 13-of-31 in a 78-45 victory.
• UW-Stout outrebounded Augsburg by a 42-31 margin in the game, while the Auggies claimed a 21-25 advantage in turnovers.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• The Auggies have won their season-opener six years in a row, dating back to the 2010-11 season.

FOR THE FOES
• The Blue Devils finished with four players in double figures, led by Bailey Diersen, who finished with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
• Jenna Goldsmith posted a game-high 12 rebounds, while adding four points.

UP NEXT
• The Auggies return to action on Friday (11/18) in the team's home-opener against UW-Superior at Si Melby Hall. Tip off is scheduled for 5 p.m.
• UW-Stout returns to action on Friday-Saturday (11/18-19), taking on Saint Mary's University and the College of Saint Benedict in the Saint Ben's Tournament.