MINNEAPOLIS  – Fueled by a career day from guard Conner Knoepfle (SR, Andover, Minn./Andover HS), the Augsburg University men's basketball team gained a hard-fought win over Saint John's University in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday afternoon.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 75, Saint John's 66
LOCATION: Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 6-11 overall (4-8 MIAC), Saint John's 10-6 overall (7-4 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Tied at 13 each less than seven minutes into the game, Augsburg captured the momentum and set the tone for the rest of the game with a 16-6 run that put them up by double digits with just over six minutes remaining in the half. The Johnnies fought to cut the deficit to six at 34-28 as the teams headed to the locker room at halftime.
• The Auggies maintained a comfortable lead throughout the early portion of the second half, but the Johnnies managed to cut the Augsburg lead to just two with 14:21 on the clock. The Auggies proved they could handle the pressure, however, working the lead back up to double digits and maintaining a comfortable advantage the rest of the way on their way to the nine-point win.
• Knoepfle had the strongest afternoon of his career thus far, pouring in a career-high 25 points on 6-10 shooting from the field. He also went 12-13 from the charity stripe, setting career highs in both attempts and makes. Colin Meade (JR, Rochester, Minn./Lourdes HS) finished second on the team with 14 points on 5-9 shooting and Will Blascziek (SO, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North HS) also reached double figures with 11 points and a team-best four steals.
• Bradley Winter (SR, Winona, Minn./Winona HS) finished with nine points and five rebounds while Kayser Hasaan (FY, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS) and Isaac Rabaey (SO, Hastings, Minn./Hastings HS) added seven each.
• The Saint John's defense posed a serious challenge for Augsburg coming into the game, holding opponents to a conference-low 62.5 points per-game. The Auggies proved to be up to the challenge, however, knocking down 25 of their 52 shots (48.1%) from the field while the Johnnies shot an even 50% (24-48). Turnovers played a vital role in the game with Augsburg winning the turnover margin 22-12 and outscoring the Johnnies 20-13 on opportunities off turnovers.  

FOR THE FOES
• Mitchell Plombon and Kooper Vaughn lead the Johnnies with 18 points each with Plombon going 9-11 from the field and pulling down eight rebounds.

UP NEXT
• Augsburg will travel to Northfield, Minn. to face Carleton College on Wednesday, January 25 at 7 pm.