MINNEAPOLIS -- Ali Axmed (SO, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North HS) hit the game-winning three-pointer with five-tenths of a second left, giving the Augsburg University men's basketball team a 69-68 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over Concordia College-Moorhead on Saturday afternoon, enabling Augsburg head coach Aaron Griess to become the Auggies' all-time leader in coaching victories.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 69, Concordia-Moorhead 68
LOCATION: Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 4-4 overall (2-1 MIAC), Concordia 3-6 overall (0-3 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Concordia took a 68-66 lead on a three-pointer by Kaden Pieper with 5.4 seconds left to play, but the Auggies drove the ball up quickly up the court, and Axmed connected on a three-pointer from the right wing with 0.5 seconds left, giving the Auggies the victory.
• The three-pointer was Axmed's second in the final two minutes; he sank a three-pointer with 1:13 left to tie the game at 64-64.
• Andy Stafford (SR, Hopkins, Minn./Hopkins HS), who assisted on Axmed's game-winning shot, led the way for the Auggies, scoring 22 points in 31 minutes off the bench, adding three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
• Will Blascziek (SR, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North HS) scored 17 points and pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds, adding two blocked shots. 
• Elias Batala (SO, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS) was the third Auggie to score in double-figures, scoring 11 points with five rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.
• Julien Hussherr (JR, Strasbourg, Alsace, France/Episcopal Saint Etienne HS) sored nine points with four rebounds and three assists.
• The game was a tight contest throughout, with neither team leading by more than nine points. There were 11 lead changes and seven ties in the game.
 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• With the victory, Griess surpassed former coach Ernie Anderson '37 for the most coaching wins in Auggie men's basketball history. Griess now has a 267-216 record in 20 seasons at Augsburg; Anderson was 266-239 in 23 seasons (1947-1980). Including his five years coaching at Division II Chaminade (Hawaii) before coming to Augsburg, Griess is now 338-278 in his college coaching career.

FOR THE FOES
• Jacob Cook had an 18-point, 13-rebound double-double for Concordia, going 6-for-9 from three-point range.
• Rowan Nelson led all scorers with 21 points, adding seven rebounds.

UP NEXT
• Augsburg hosts Northwestern-St. Paul in a nonconference game on Tuesday (12/17) at 7 p.m. at Si Melby Hall.