MINNEAPOLIS – Nearly overcoming a double-digit second-half deficit, the Augsburg University men's basketball team fell to the University of Minnesota Morris 65-60 on Monday evening in nonconference play at Si Melby Hall.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: UM-Morris 65, Augsburg 60
LOCATION: Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 2-3 overall, UM-Morris 3-3 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The opening 10 minutes were tightly contested, containing nine lead changes. With just under 10 minutes to play in the half, Augsburg held a 20-19 lead. The Cougars regained momentum from there, however, sparking a 15-3 run to give them an 11-point lead. Augsburg managed to cut the deficit to four before the buzzer sounded, trailing 37-30 as they headed into the locker room.
• The Cougar lead continued to grow steadily throughout most of the second half, peaking at 15 points as they led 56-41 with just over eight minutes to play. The Auggies would not go down without a fight as they clawed their way back into the game over the following seven minutes, getting it down to a four-point game at 62-58 with a minute remaining. It proved to be all they could do, however, as Morris hung on for the five-point win.
• Colin Meade (JR, Rochester, Minn./Lourdes HS) finished as the scoring leader for Augsburg, logging 13 points on 4-8 shooting while pulling down eight rebounds. Kayser Hasaan (FY, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS) was the second-leading scorer with 11 points, four steals, and three rebounds.
• Bradley Winter (SR, Winona, Minn./Winona HS) grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds and came within a point of a double-double with nine. Will Blascziek (So, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North HS) finished with seven points and two rebounds while Conner Knoepfle (SR, Andover, Minn./Andover HS) added seven boards and six points.
• The Auggies held a decisive advantage on the glass, outrebounding the Cougars by a margin of 50-39. Augsburg also edged the Cougars 32-28 in the paint on the evening. Morris was the better shooting team, knocking down 25 of their 57 shots as a team (43.9%) compared to Augsburg's 21-70 (30.0%) performance.

FOR THE FOES
• Noah Kannegiesser led the way for the Cougars with a game-high 14 points while Kenny Placide and Jaret Johnson scored 12 and 10, respectively.

UP NEXT
• The Auggies will return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play when they host Carleton College on Wednesday (11/30) at 7 pm.