NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Augsburg University men's basketball team got back in the win column on Saturday afternoon, claiming a 79-75 win over St. Olaf College in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play at the Skoglund Center.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 79, St. Olaf 75
LOCATION: Skoglund Center, Northfield, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 7-15 overall (5-12 MIAC), St. Olaf 12-10 overall (8-9 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Auggies held the advantage throughout the first half, gaining an early lead and pushing it all the way to 14 at 23-9 near the midpoint of the half. The Oles fought to reduce the deficit, but Augsburg remained in control, leading 40-33 at halftime.  
• The Oles fought their way back into the game throughout the second half as they managed to tie the score on three separate occasions, but Augsburg found an answer each time as they never allowed St. Olaf to gain the lead. Leading by two with just four seconds on the clock, Bradley Winter (SR, Winona, Minn./Winona HS) knocked down a pair of free throws for Augsburg to make it a two-score game and secure the victory.
• Kayser Hassan (FY, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS) and Will Blascziek (SO, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North HS) paced the Auggie offense, scoring 18 points each with Blascziek hitting six of his 12 shots and grabbing two rebounds and Hassan going 6-10 from the field and pulling down eight boards.
• Conner Knoepfle (SR, Andover, Minn./Andover HS) finished with 15 points, five rebounds, and three steals. Winter and Colin Meade (JR, Rochester, Minn./Lourdes HS) rounded out the starting five with eight and six points, respectively. Isaac Rabaey (SO, Hastings, Minn./Hastings HS) provided a spark off the bench, logging 10 points on a perfect 4-4 shooting.
• The Auggies were the hotter shooting team, shooting 48.3% (28-58) as a unit while St. Olaf hit on 46.4% of their attempts (25-56). Both teams posted identical stat lines from beyond the arc (6-19, 31.6%) and from the free throw line (17-22, 77.3%).

FOR THE FOES
• Connor Martin finished with a game-high 22 points and five rebounds for the Oles.
• Nathan Hendler and Kobe Kirk added 15 and 10 points, respectively.

UP NEXT
• The Auggies will travel to Winona, Minn. to take on Saint Mary's University on Wednesday, February 8 at 7 pm.