ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – The Augsburg University men's basketball team was spurred by a 39-point performance by Collin Olmscheid (SR, Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo HS), but the potential game-winning shot didn't drop as the Auggies fell 93-91 to Hope College in the first round of the NCAA Division III national tournament on Friday at Augustana College.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Hope (Mich.) 93, Augsburg 91
LOCATION: Roy J. Carver Center, Rock Island, Ill.
RECORDS: Augsburg 21-8 overall, Hope 19-9 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Auggies were tied 83-83 with 1:53 to play, but couldn't convert on their next two possessions, while Hope scored on both of its possessions to take an 88-83 lead with 46 seconds left. Augsburg was diligent with its clock management and fouls down the stretch, while Hope missed three free throws in the final 35 seconds, giving the Auggies the ball trailing 93-91. With four seconds to play, Augsburg brought the ball down the court and got a good look at a three-point opportunity, which just missed, as the Auggies tremendous season came to an end.
• Olmscheid, who was announced as the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year earlier this week, led the Augsburg offense with an incredible 39-point effort. He was 14-of-18 from the floor, a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line, and added five rebounds and an assist. Olmscheid ends his Augsburg career playing in 106 career games and finishes fourth in school history with 1,887 career points, while pulling down 637 career rebounds.
• Kevin McKiernan (JR, Savage, Minn./Prior Lake HS) scored 17 points for the Auggies, which included a 4-of-9 effort from three-point range, while adding four rebounds and an assist, playing all 40 minutes of action.
• Also finishing in double figures for the Auggies was Matt Carik (FY, Rogers, Minn./Rogers HS), who scored a career-high 15 points. He was a perfect 5-for-5 at the free-throw line and added four rebounds and two assists.
• Leading Augsburg on the boards was Booker Coplin (SO, Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee HS), who pulled down nine rebounds, while adding nine points and dishing out a game-high six assists. Coplin also led the Auggies with two blocked shots on the night.
• For the game, Augsburg shot 48.4 percent (30-of-62), while Hope shot 54.0 percent (34-of-63) from the field. The Auggies were 19-of-20 from the free-throw line, while the Flying Dutchmen finished 20-of-26. The Auggies connected on 12 three-pointers, compared to just five for Hope. The Flying Dutchmen claimed a 34-31 advantage on the boards.
 
FOR THE FOES
• Hope finished with five players in double figures, led by a 23-point performance from Riley Lewis, who was 8-of-10 from the floor and 4-for-5 from three-point range.
• Preston Granger added 21 points, and Teddy Ray added a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Augsburg seniors Harry Sonie (SR, Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley HS), Nick Sabatke (SR, Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS) and Chany Pal (SR, Fridley, Minn./Fridley HS) all joined Olmscheid in playing their final games in an Auggie uniform on Friday. The trio combined for eight points, nine rebounds and four assists on the night. Sonie finished his career playing in 96 career games, scoring 740 career points and sits fourth all-time in school history with 286 career assists. Sabatke and Pal both transferred to Augsburg a year ago and were key members of the Auggies' success during their tenure.
• Augsburg finished the season with a 21-8 overall record, making its fourth overall NCAA Division III national tournament appearance and first since 1999. 
• Head Coach Aaron Griess has led the Auggies to 12 or more wins, and eight appearances in the MIAC postseason playoffs, in the past 10 years.