SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana men's basketball team opens its NSIC Tournament trek Saturday as the second-seeded Vikings face 10th-seeded MSU Moorhead at 7 p.m. in the Sanford Pentagon. The quarterfinal matchup is the second contest of the day's second session.
 
Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com or at the Pentagon Box Office. Midco Sports and Midco Sports Plus is the exclusive home to viewing the tournament away from the Sanford Pentagon. A subscription is required for Midco Sports Plus while Midco Sports is available on various cable subscriptions.

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 Dragons
MSU Moorhead was picked to go seventh in the NSIC and finished 10th after finishing the regular season 13-15. The Dragons enter the weekend following a 68-64 road victory against Northern State on Wednesday.

Isa El-Amin was the lone Dragon to earn All-NSIC honors on Thursday morning, earning a spot on the second team. He leads the Dragons with 14.4 points a game and 101 total assists while knocking down 54 3-pointers and collecting 38 steals. Dominic Gooden is second on the team with 11.4 points per game and 48 3-pointers on 39.7 percent shooting beyond the arc while Sam Hastreiter is averaging 10.3 points per game on 52.3%/42.0%/83.9% shooting splits. He is the brother of Viking forward Jack Hastreiter.

Rensch's Second-Half Explosion Lifts Vikings Over Sioux Falls
Sam Rensch scored 22 points in the second half to push the Augustana men's basketball team to a 104-93 win over Sioux Falls on Saturday afternoon in the Elmen Center.

The Vikings outscored the Cougars 61-45 in the second half while shooting 60 percent (21 of 35) from the field in the final 20 minutes to secure the win. They also shot 13 of 14 from the line and 6 of 11 from deep in the half to help close the game out. 

In his final game inside the Elmen Center, Rensch was dominant. He finished with a career-high 37 points on 12 of 21 shooting while knocking down five 3-pointers to power the offense. Tameron Ferguson was dominant again, scoring 27 points and dishing four assists while leading the team with three steals. 

Caden Hinker, also getting recognized on Senior Day, scored 24 points and grabbed a team-high seven boards while adding four assists. Senior Brady Helgren scored four important second chance points to go with five boards while senior Tanner Te Slaa had four clutch free throws and grabbed six impactful rebounds in what will be their final game in the Elmen Center.

Tam's Time
Tameron Ferguson's special sophomore season has officially been rewarded. The sophomore from St. Cloud, Minnesota was named NSIC South Division Player of the Year, as voted on by coaches in the conference.

Ferguson averaged 20.0 points, 7.2 assists and 5.3 rebounds in 36.8 minutes per game in NSIC play this season, leading the NSIC in both assists and minutes. He also ranks top five in field goal percentage (51.7 percent), assist/turnover ratio (3.3) and steals per game (1.7). 

Ferguson scored 20 or more points in 18 games this season and recorded five point-assist double doubles, tied for the most in program history. The four-time NSIC South Player of the Week is the only player in the country averaging at least 20.0 points and 6.0 assists per game.

Hinker's Return
After missing all of last season, Caden Hinker earned an All-NSIC First Team selection following a strong return. The redshirt junior has recorded six double-doubles while leading the team with 6.2 rebounds per game, including 5.4 defensive rebounds per game. 

The Mitchell, South Dakota native has also turned himself into a sharpshooter, knocking down 51 3-pointers while making them at a 41.8 percent clip after going just 5 for 39 in his previous two seasons. 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.

Showtime Sammy
All-Conference Second Team selection Sam Rensch is third on the team with 14.6 points per game. He is second on the team with 2.0 assists per game and has grabbed 3.4 rebounds per contest. He has recorded a steal in 23 of 27 games and has scored at least 30 points in two of his last four games. He also leads the team with 1.6 steals per game.

He has scored double digits in seven of his last nine games while averaging 16.9 points per game in that stretch. He has made at least two 3-pointers in 15 games on the season and had knocked down at least three of them in four of his last seven games.

Tanner Three Slaa
Tanner Te Slaa is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10.1 points per game while adding 3.9 rebounds per game. Te Slaa has also made 60 of 70 free throws, a 85.7 percent clip, and has made 24 consecutive free throws. 

The 2024-25 All-NSIC Second Team honoree has knocked down at least two 3-pointers in 15 games this season, including seven of his last eight games, with the Vikings holding a 12-3 record in those 15 games. The Vikings are also 10-3 when Te Slaa scores in double figures, something he has done in six of his last eight games. In that eight-game stretch, Te Slaa is averaging 12.5 points per game. 

The Revelation of Brady Helgren
After being inserted into the starting lineup on Jan. 9, Brady Helgren has taken full advantage of his opportunity. The junior scored a career-high 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting against Jamestown on Jan. 9 and followed that on Jan. 10, reseting his career-high with 22 points on 10 of 14 shooting while tying a career-high with nine rebounds. 

For the season, Helgren is averaging 5.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game after grabbing a career-best 12 boards against Minnesota State on Feb. 12. In his 14 starts, those averages jump to 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

Feed Fried
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 11 times, including all four times he has taken at least nine shots from the field. He's fifth on the team with 8.0 points per game while grabbing 3.6 rebounds per game and shooting 65.9 percent from the field. In his last 12 games, Fried has shot 83.5 percent (33 of 40) from the field. 

Road Warriors
The Vikings have gone an NSIC-best 9-3 on the road this season, including  9-2 in conference games. AU had a six-game road winning streak, tying the third longest road winning streak in program history. Their .818 road winning percentage is also tied for second in program history.

Longest Road Win Streak
9 - 2014-15
7 - 2015-16
6 - 2025-26
6 - 2021-22
6 - 2010-11

Best Road Win Percentage
.910 (10-1) - 2015-16
.818 (9-2) - 2014-15
.750 (9-3) - 2025-26