MINNEAPOLIS – Powered by strong performances from its starting five and the seventh double-double of the season from Joe Palmer (JR, Faribault, Minn./Faribault HS), the Augsburg University men's basketball team earned a 76-60 win over Concordia College-Moorhead on Wednesday evening to move to 8-0 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play this season.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 76, Concordia 60
LOCATION: Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 11-2 overall (8-0 MIAC), Concordia 3-7 overall (2-5 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The early portion of the game was tightly contested with the two teams trading baskets for the majority of the first half. With just 38 seconds remaining before halftime, the game was tied at 34. The Auggies would go on a 4-0 run to close out the half and take a four-point advantage into the locker room.
• The second half was a different story as Augsburg came out with a 12-0 run to increase the lead to 16 less than five minutes in. Pushing the lead all the way to 20 on two occasions, the Auggies remained in the driver's seat for the remainder of the game as they cruised to another dominant win.
• Palmer anchored the scoring attack for Augsburg once again, recording his seventh double-double this season and the 11^th of his career with 21 points and a career-high 16 rebounds along with two assists, a block, and a steal. The game marked the second 20-plus point and 10-plus rebound game of Palmer's career.
• Matt Carik (SR, Rogers, Minn./Rogers HS) was the second-leading scorer for Augsburg, tallying 16 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals while going a perfect seven-for-seven at the free throw line.
Jack Sorenson (JR, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South HS) was the only other Auggie to reach double figures with 12 points on four-of-seven shooting alongside two assists, a rebound, and a steal.
• Bradley Winter (JR, Winona, Minn./Winona HS) and Conner Knoepfle (SR, Andover, Minn./Andover HS) rounded out the starters with nine and six points, respectively. Winter added three rebounds and a steal while Knoepfle grabbed four boards, three assists, and a steal.
• Will Schmidt (SR, Maple Grove, Minn./Totino-Grace HS) and Rayquan Moore (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle HS) were the top contributors off the bench for the Auggies with five points each. Schmidt picked up seven rebounds and three steals while Moore grabbed two boards, two assists, and a steal.
• The Auggies made the most of their opportunities at the charity stripe, making all 11 of their free throw attempts in the game.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Following the game, Palmer remains atop the MIAC overall statistics rankings with 9.4 rebounds per-game and 22.5 points per-game while sitting fourth with a field goal percentage of 56.6. His 22.5 points per-game also rank 18th in all of NCAA Division III. Sorenson ranks fourth in the conference with a three point field goal percentage of 45.5.

FOR THE FOES
• The Cobbers were led by Rowan Nelson with 18 points, Zach Jackson with 17 points, and Dylan Inniger with seven points.

UP NEXT
• Augsburg will head to Collegeville, Minn. for a matchup with Saint John's on Saturday (1/15) at 3 p.m.