ST. PAUL, Minn. – Behind a career-high 20 points from Jack Sorenson (JR, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South HS), the Augsburg University men's basketball team opened its MIAC schedule with a close 69-66 win over Hamline at Hutton Arena on Saturday.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg def. Hamline 69-66
LOCATION: Hutton Arena, St. Paul, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 2-1 overall (1-0 MIAC), Hamline 1-3 overall (0-1 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The opening minutes of the game remained tight as the two teams were knotted up at 12 each with 12:12 remaining in the half. It was all Augsburg from there for the rest of the half as the Auggies outscored the Pipers 27-14 to carry a 39-26 lead at halftime.
• The Pipers slowly chipped away at the Augsburg lead throughout the second half, making it a three-point game with 1:12 remaining. Joe Palmer (JR, Faribault, Minn./Faribault HS) extended the Augsburg lead to six with a three pointer with just 44 seconds on the clock, but Hamline responded with a three of their own just 11 seconds later to make it 69-66. That score would hold for the rest of the game as the Auggies earned the win in their first MIAC game of the year.
• The Auggies outscored the Pipers 11-5 in fast break points and also edged Hamline 10-8 in second chance points in the game.
• Augsburg narrowly edged the Pipers in shooting percentage, hitting on 26 of their 64 shots (40.6%) compared to Hamline's 25-of-66 shooting performance (37.9%).
• Sorenson was the scoring leader for the Auggies, collecting a career-high 20 points on 7-14 shooting, including going six-of-10 from deep. He also contributed six rebounds, five assists, and a steal in the game.
• Palmer put up another strong performance, scoring 19 on an efficient seven-of-11 shooting night and adding in seven rebounds and two assists.
• Rayquan Moore (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle HS) was a solid contributor off the bench, recording nine points, three assists, and two steals for Augsburg.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Saturday's matchup was the 121st meeting all-time between the two teams, with the Auggies now holding a commanding 84-37 advantage in the series.

FOR THE FOES
• Jake Larson was the scoring leader for the Pipers with 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
• Tait Nelson and Conner Krenos recorded 13 points and 11 points, respectively.

UP NEXT
• The Auggies will return home on Tuesday, November 23 for a game against Bethel at 7 p.m. at Si Melby Hall.