SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana men's basketball team opens its NSIC slate with a 7 p.m., matchup at the Stewart Center against Sioux Falls. 

Complete action can be followed on GoAugie.com/Live and the GoAugie app, presented by The Original Pancake House. The app can be downloaded in the App Store or Google Play. 

About the Cougars
Sioux Falls was picked to finish seventh in the NSIC and has opened the season 3-2 after defeating Chadron State and falling to Black Hills State last weekend.

Noah Puetz averages 15.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 49.1 percent from the field. He is one of five averaging in double figures.

Taylen Ashley is adding 13.6 points per game while shooting 13 of 24 from deep.

About the Vikings
Augustana opened the season 3-1 after knocking off South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State Nov. 15-16.

Akoi Akoi was named East/West Tournament MVP after averaging 23.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He put the finishing touches on the selection in the final seconds against the Yellow Jackets, hitting a 3-pointer with under five seconds to play. Joining him on the All-Tournament Team was Sam Rensch, who averaged 18.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

Rensch leads the Vikings with 15.3 points and 2.8 steals per game. He scored a career-high 22 points on 9 of 18 shooting while knocking down four 3-pointers and grabbing five steals against BHSU.Akoi follows with 13.8 points per game and has grabbed 5.5 rebounds per game. He is shooting 52.2 percent fromt he field through four games.

Tanner Te Slaa is averaging 13.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game after another solid weekend. Te Slaa led the Vikings with 21 points and eight rebounds in the Nov. 15 victory over SDM.

In his collegiate debut on Nov. 8, Tameron Ferguson scored 13 points while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing six assists to help lead the Vikings to victory. He is fourth on the team with 6.8 points per game and has facilitated well, holding a 12/2 assist/turnover ratio.

Series History
Augustana and Sioux Falls will match up for the 83rd time all-time with the Vikings leading 42-40. USF has won the three previous meetings, with the last AU home win coming at the Stewart Center in 2022. The Vikings are 13-16 all-time on USF's campus.

NSIC Preview 
The Vikings were selected to finish sixth in the NSIC Preseason Poll after finishing seventh a season ago. Akoi Akoi was tabbed the Preseason Player to Watch.

Viking Preview
Augustana welcomes plenty of fresh faces to a team that features five returning letterwinners. Leading the charge is Akoi Akoi. The senior averaged 7.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game a year ago while shooting 45.9 percent from deep. Caden Hinker also returns after adding 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while playing all 30 games.

Four newcomers have seen NCAA action and look to make an immediate impact. Tanner Te Slaa is the most experienced of the bunch after playing 43 games and making a start over two seasons at SDSU. Te Slaa scored 86 points and knocked down 19 3-pointers.

Kelton Coleman enters the mix after earning All-Freshman Team and All-SCAC honorable mention honors at the University of Dallas. He averaged 14.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in 19.7 minutes per game while shooting 44 percent from 3-point range. He was an energizer off the bench for the Crusaders, averaging 27.9 points per 40 minutes.

In all, Augustana returns one starter from last season and four student-athletes that saw action in at least 28 games. Sam Rensch and Brady Helgren were the two others outside of Akoi and Hinker to join that list.

Roster Breakdown
Augustana's roster features one senior, five juniors, four sophomores, three redshirt freshmen and two true freshmen. Final Bites Tameron Ferguson's 6.0 assist/turnover ratio ranks sixth in the nation.