MOORHEAD, Minn. - The Augustana men's basketball team outscored MSU Moorhead 106-99 in a shotmaking masterclass on Friday night at the Nemzek Fieldhouse.
The Vikings (9-7, 7-4 NSIC) shot 63.3 percent (38 of 60) from the field, including an incredible 77.4 percent (24 of 31) in the first half, while the Dragons (9-8, 6-5) shot 54.2 percent (39 of 72) from the field and hit at least half their shots in each half. AU also turned the ball over just two times and forced eight as they outscored the Dragons 14-2 off turnovers.
Tameron Ferguson had one of the best games of his collegiate career, scoring 27 points on 10 of 16 shooting while dishing a career-high 12 assists and grabbing six rebounds without a turnover.
Sam Rensch added 20 points on 8 of 9 shooting.
After a two-game absence,
Caden Hinker scored 13 points and grabbed five boards in his return.
Jack Hastreiter added 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting and
Brady Helgren knocked down all three 3-pointers he took while scoring 10 points.
Bennett Fried added eight points on 4 of 4 shooting as well.
Hinker ended each of the first two Viking possessions with a 3-pointer, Rensch hit a jumper and Helgren knocked down a 3-pointer of his own on the first four possessions to give the Vikings an early 11-7 lead.
Over the next five minutes of action, Ferguson scored nine points while the Vikings shot seven of nine from the field as AU outscored MSUM 18-10, capped by a Hinker jumper to lead 29-19 with 10:39 to go in the half.
The Vikings traded baskets with the Dragons to keep them at arms length following their run. The teams combined to shoot 15 of 19 from the field over the next 4:43, capped by an MSUM 3-pointer to get them back within 45-40 at the 5:56 mark.
Hastreiter knocked down a jumper and
Amari Westmoreland-Vendiola hit a 3-pointer to put the Viking lead back up to double digits at 50-40 with 4:37 to go in the half. After a pair of Dragon jumpers,
Bennett Fried knocked down a two to make it 52-44.
Over the final 2:10, MSUM outscored AU 7-6 to narrow its deficit to 58-51 at the break. The two teams combined to shoot 44 of 65 from the field in the first half and 19 of 31 from deep as the two teams put elite shotmaking on display.
The Dragons opened the second half scoring before Rensch knocked down a 3-pointer to start the Viking offense. The Dragons inched back into the game over the next 5:30 of play, outscoring AU 19-11 to get within 72-72 with 13:00 to go.
Hastreiter ended the run with a 3-pointer and Fried added a bucket off a Ferguson feed to reclaim a lead for AU. After three MSUM points,
Markus Talley hit a 3-pointer and Hastreiter added a layup with 9:51 to go in the game to make it 82-75 AU.
The Dragons surged back, scoring nine of the next 10 points to take an 84-83 lead. Rensch went on to tie it with a free throw and the mood shifted off the miss when Hinker rose above the Dragons and threw down a vicious dunk to give the Vikings the lead at 86-84 with 6:06 to go.
After a pair of MSUM free throws, The Vikings hit four free throws and Rensch hit a 3-pointer to five AU a 7-0 run and allowed them to build a 93-86 lead at the 3:41 mark. The rest of the game saw the two teams score 13 points apiece to bring the game to its final score.
The Vikings finish their weekend on Saturday afternoon, traveling east for a matchup at Minnesota Crookston. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m.
