DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Augsburg University men's basketball team got off to a strong start in the Daytona Beach Shootout as it took down Rhodes College (Tenn.) 70-60 on Sunday evening behind 25 points from Joe Palmer (JR, Faribault, Minn./Faribault HS).

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg def. Rhodes College, 70-60
LOCATION: Ocean Center, Daytona Beach, Fla.
RECORDS: Augsburg 8-2 overall (6-0 MIAC), Rhodes College 5-4 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Auggies fell behind early as the Lynx surged to a 9-2 lead less than three minutes into the game. The Lynx held that lead for most of the first half, but Augsburg continued to fight with Jack Sorenson (JR, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South HS) tying the game at 27 with a layup and giving the Auggies their first lead with a three-pointer at the 1:54 mark in the first. At the half, Augsburg led 36-31.
• Augsburg continued to push the lead early in the second half, extending the advantage to 14 points just over five minutes in. The Auggies controlled the pace of play for the remainder of the game as they cruised to the 10-point victory.
• The Auggie defense played well, holding the Lynx to just 33.9% shooting in the game while the offense connected on 24 of 57 shots (42.1%). The Auggies also won the battle in the paint by a margin of 32-20 and scored 18 points off turnovers to Rhodes' 11.
• Palmer continued his dominant 2021 campaign, scoring 25 points on nine of 16 shooting and grabbing nine rebounds and two steals on the night.
• Bradley Winter (JR, Winona, Minn./Winona HS) also nearly notched a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds on a perfect five-of-five shooting performance from the floor.
• Matt Carik (SR, Rogers, Minn./Rogers HS) got into double figures in scoring for the fifth time this season, recording 10 points while adding in three steals, a rebound, an assist, and a block.
• Conner Knoepfle (SR, Andover, Minn./Andover HS) and Sorenson added seven points each for Augsburg.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Following the 10th game of the season for Augsburg, Palmer sits atop the MIAC overall statistics rankings with 9.0 rebounds per-game and 23.1 points per-game.

FOR THE FOES
• The Lynx were led by Koki Wiley who finished the game with 19 points on 6 of 14 shooting.

UP NEXT
• The Auggies are now slated for a matchup with DePauw University in their second and final game in the Daytona Beach Shootout tomorrow, December 20, at 5 PM CT.