MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Augustana men's basketball team picked up its first win of the season on Friday evening, running past South Dakota Mines 91-74 inside Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse.
Tameron Ferguson led the Vikings with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting while adding four assists. Caden Hinker dominated on both ends, posting 19 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
Sam Rensch totaled 12 points and five boards, and Tanner Te Slaa added 9 points and a team-high five assists. Augustana's bench contributed 23 points, highlighted by Markus Talley's 10-point performance on 4-of-5 shooting.
Augustana controlled the efficiency battle across the board, shooting 51.6 percent from the field while holding the Hardrockers to 38.2 percent. The Vikings also won the rebounding margin 45-33 and earned 23 fastbreak points to Mines' five.
Hinker opened the scoring with a pair of early buckets before Te Slaa buried a three to spark an 11–3 start for the Vikings. Augustana's defensive pressure forced a series of Hardrocker turnovers, allowing Ferguson and Rensch to push the lead to 25-14 with 14 minutes left in the opening half.
A three-pointer from Rensch and a transition finish by Ferguson kept the Vikings in front by double digits, and Augustana's depth continued to make an impact. Conner Kraft converted a dunk, Talley knocked down a jumper, and a late fastbreak layup from Rensch sent AU into the locker room holding a 37-28 advantage.
The Vikings erupted to begin the second half, using a 13–3 run sparked by a Rensch triple and back-to-back finishes from Hinker to take full control at 50-31 just over three minutes in. Augustana's defense clamped down, allowing only three Mines field goals over the first five minutes of the half while extending the lead to as many as 33.
Talley hit a pair of threes to push the margin to 69-39 before Ferguson delivered a flurry of fastbreak buckets, helping the Vikings maintain a comfortable advantage the rest of the way. Kraft and Fried added strong minutes in the paint while Westmoreland-Vendiola supplied four rebounds and a timely three during the stretch.
South Dakota Mines made a late run behind Ryan Sweeney's 32-point outing, but Augustana's balanced scoring and interior dominance sealed the victory.
The Vikings continue action tomorrow at the East-West Shootout, taking on Black Hills State at 3:30 p.m.
