SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The first-place Augustana men's basketball team closes a five-game home stretch with a pair of NSIC North matchups first against Jamestown on Friday before a Saturday matchup against Northern State. Tip-off against the Jimmies is set for 5:30 p.m. on Friday before a 3:30 p.m., matchup on Saturday against the Wolves.
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 Jimmies
Jamestown was picked to finish 14th in the NSIC poll and are 5-3 in league play after Northern State snapped a five-game win streak for the Jimmies. Anthony Walters leads three in double figures, averaging 19.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 43.8 percent from deep on 96 attempts. Owen Hektner follows with 13.3 points per game while Ford Okehi scores 10.6 points per game and leads the Jimmies with 3.6 assists per game.
About the Wolves
Northern State was picked to finish 13th in the NSIC poll and are 5-3 in league play after knocking off Jamestown for the second time this season. Joshua Book leads is one of five Wolves in double figures, averaging 13.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while knocking down 45 of 48 free throws. James Glenn is second on the team with 11.2 points per game in 10 games after missing four games in the middle of the season.
Last Time Out
The Augustana men's basketball team opened 2026 with a 76-73 loss against Wayne State on Saturday afternoon inside the Elmen Center.
Sam Rensch and Tameron Ferguson led the offense with 22 points apiece with Rensch leading the team with three steals and five 3-pointers and Ferguson finishing with a team-high seven assists to go with six rebounds. Tanner Te Slaa scored 14 points while Conner Kraft and Caden Hinker combined for 15 rebounds.
About the Vikings
Augustana has opened the season 8-5 overall and 6-2 in the NSIC. They did that after playing a tough non-conference slate, with two of their three losses coming by four points or less.
Tameron Ferguson has been one of the best players in the country in his sophomore season, leading the team with 20.3 points and 6.6 assists per game while shooting 56.3 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from deep. He has tallied at least 20 points in nine of his last 11 games, including a 28-point performance against Sioux Falls on Dec. 6. He is also the first Viking to record multiple point-assist double doubles since Jordan Spencer in 2017-18 and is the only player in the country averaging 20 points and 6.5 assists per game.
After missing all of last season, Caden Hinker has been a dominant force in his return. The redshirt junior has recorded double-doubles in six of his last 12 games while leading the team with 7.4 rebounds per game, including an NSIC-best 6.5 defensive rebounds per game. He's second on the team with 15.7 points per game and scored a career-high 26 points against Winona State on Nov. 18 while grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds against Northwest Missouri State on Nov. 15.
Senior Sam Rensch is third on the team with 12.8 points per game. He is second on the team with 2.4 assists per game and has grabbed 4.1 rebounds per contest. He has recorded multiple steals in his last eight of 13 contests and scored a season-high 24 points against Sioux Falls in 46 minutes on Dec. 6. He also leads the team with 1.8 steals per game.
Bennett Fried had one of the best games of his young career on Dec. 11, tying a career high with 20 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 9 of 13 from the field against St. Cloud State. He has scored in double-figures six times in his last nine games, including all four times he got at least nine shots from the field. He's fifth on the team with 9.5 points per game while grabbing 4.4 rebounds per game.
After a slow start, 2024-25 All-NSIC Second Team selection Tanner Te Slaa is finding his groove. The senior has scored at least 14 points in six of his last nine games while knocking down 20 of 38 shots from deep in those five games. On the season, he's averaging 10.2 points per game and shooting 32.9 percent from deep.
Series History
Augustana and Jamestown will match up for the eighth time all-time with the Vikings leading 6-1. Jamestown earned a victory in the Elmen Center last season for their first win in the series. The Vikings are 44-41 all-time against Northern State, including a three-game winning streak and three straight home wins. The Vikings are 24-17 at home in the series and 15-6 in conference games between the two teams.
