MINNEAPOLIS – Erasing a 17-point second-half deficit, the Augsburg University men's basketball team opened up its 2022-23 campaign on Wednesday evening with a 76-74 win over North Central University in nonconference action. 

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 76, North Central 74
LOCATION: North Central University, Minneapolis, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 1-0 overall, North Central 0-1 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED
• After playing to an 8-8 tie through the first five minutes of action, the Auggies began to separate with a 13-6 run that put them up 21-14 with eight minutes left in the half. The Rams responded with a 17-5 run of their own to take a 31-26 lead into the locker room at the half.
• Coming out of the break, the Rams dominated the opening 10 minutes of the half, opening up a game-high 17-point lead at 58-41 with just over 10 minutes to play. From that point, the Auggies found a groove and began to chip away at the NCU lead over the following five minutes. Thanks in large part to three pointers from Carson Kolles (FY, Monticello, Minn.) and Conner Knoepfle (SR, Andover, Minn./Andover HS) and going 5-6 from the free throw line as a team, the Auggies managed to overcome the deficit and tie the game back up at 64-64 with 4:32 left to play.
• After the Rams briefly regained control at 68-67, a jumper by Will Blascziek (So, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North HS) gave the Auggies a one-point lead they would never surrender. Augsburg worked its way to a five-point lead at 76-71 with just twelve seconds remaining before the Rams hit a triple as time expired to seal the 76-74 comeback win for the Auggies.
• Knoepfle proved to be the leader for the Auggies in game one, knocking down six of his nine attempts from the field to tie his career-high with 19 points while tying for a game-high with seven rebounds. Blascziek and Bradley Winter (SR, Winona, Minn./Winona HS) were also extremely impactful as returners for the Auggies, scoring 16 and 12 with seven and six boards, respectively. Colin Meade (JR, Rochester, Minn./Lourdes HS) was the only other Auggie in double figures with 11 points and four rebounds.
• Among newcomers to the team, Kayser Hasaan (FY, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS) led the pack with seven points and five rebounds off the bench.
• As a team, the Auggies shot 25-of-51 (49.0%) from the floor and six-of-13 (46.2%) from beyond the arc while the Rams knocked down 31 of their 68 field goal attempts (45.6%) and hit on nine-of-22 (40.9%) from deep. Despite grabbing only nine offensive boards in the game, the Auggies capitalized on their opportunities with 11 second-chance points to North Central's three.

FOR THE FOES
• Much like the Auggies, the Rams featured a balanced scoring attack with all five starters reaching double-digit points in the game.

UP NEXT
• The Auggies will open Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on the road against Macalester next Saturday (11/19) at 1 pm.