MINNEAPOLIS – Making his debut in an Augsburg University uniform, Andy Stafford (SR, Hopkins, Minn./Hopkins HS) scored 20 points and pulled down eight rebounds in the Auggies' season-opening 79-58 loss to the University of Puget Sound on Saturday evening.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Puget Sound (Wash.) 79, Augsburg 58
LOCATION: Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 0-1 overall, Puget Sound 2-0 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED
• A transfer from NAIA school Corban (Ore.), Stafford scored 20 points with eight rebounds in 36 minutes on the floor for the Auggies.
• The game was a close one in the first half, with neither team leading by more than eight points, as Puget Sound held a 34-31 lead. But the Loggers used an 18-0 scoring run over a 4:06 span to take a commanding 73-47 lead with 5:54 left in the game.
• Transfers Mario Adams (SO, Eagan, Minn./Eastview HS) and Myles Adams (SO, Eagan, Minn./Eastview HS), twin brothers who played last year at Minnesota Crookston, made their Augsburg debuts and scored seven and six points, respectively.
• Keenan Rodriguez (JR, Anoka, Minn./Anoka HS) scored seven points, and Elias Batala (SO, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS) had three assists and three steals, scoring four points.
• Augsburg hit 42.1 percent (24-of-57) from the field, compared to 43.5 percent (27-of-62) for Puget Sound. But the Loggers outrebounded the Auggies by a 47-30 margin, including a 16-6 advantage in offensive boards. The Loggers had 15 second-chance points to the Auggies' two.
 
FOR THE FOES
• Dezman Baker scored 20 points with six rebounds, and Liam Ruttledge scored 17 points with six rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Loggers.
• Hugo Rutherfurd scored 15 points with seven rebounds, and Taj Phillips had seven points with six assists.

UP NEXT
• Augsburg travels to Iowa for a pair of games next weekend, playing at Simpson College next Friday (11/15) at 7 p.m., and at Central College next Saturday (11/16) at 3 p.m.