MINNEAPOLIS – The Augsburg University men's basketball team dropped a 40-minute, back-and-forth battle to the College of St. Scholastica on Wednesday evening, falling 66-63 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play at Si Melby Hall.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: St. Scholastica 66, Augsburg 63
LOCATION: Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 6-15 overall (4-12 MIAC), St. Scholastica 6-14 overall (5-10 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The game was a tight-knit affair with neither team leading by more than four at any point in the contest. Time with the lead in the first half reflected the game's score with the Saints holding the advantage for 7:17 and Augsburg leading for 7:11. Tied at 24 with 2:45 remaining in the half, a pair of jumpers from Nick Hendler (JR, Shakopee, Minn./Holy Family Catholic HS) helped Augsburg take a 29-26 lead into halftime.
• Augsburg was in control for a majority of the second half, holding the lead for 11:42 while the Saints led for just 4:33. With the Auggies leading 59-57 with 2:41 on the clock, St. Scholastica finished the game on a 9-4 run to secure the hard-fought win.
• Will Blascziek (SO, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North HS) and Conner Knoepfle (SR, Andover, Minn./Andover HS) tied for the team lead with 12 points each with Blascziek going 5-10 from the floor and grabbing three boards and Knoepfle shooting 5-11 with five rebounds. Kayser Hassan (FY, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS) added eight points, two steals, and a team-high nine rebounds. Sam Olson (SO, Blaine, Minn./Blaine HS) was the top contributor off the bench with eight points and seven rebounds.
• As a team, St. Scholastica narrowly outshot Augsburg 41.9% (23-58) to 38.2% (21-55). Augsburg's bench was more effective than that of the Saints, outscoring them by a margin of 22-14.

FOR THE FOES
• Nick Carlson finished with a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double while Noah Winesett added 11 points for the Saints.

UP NEXT
• The Auggies will travel to Northfield, Minn. for a conference showdown with St. Olaf College at 1 pm on Saturday, February 4.