WINONA, Minn. - The Augustana men's basketball team extended its winning streak to eight, grinding out a 62-54 victory over Winona State on Saturday afternoon at the McGown Gymnasium.

The Vikings (16-7, 14-4 NSIC) took just 48 shots, knocking down 20 of them, while going 17 of 21 from the free throw line. The defense was dominant, holding the Warriors (9-14, 8-10 NSIC) to 22 of 63 shooting from the field and 6 of 23 from deep while allowing just seven free throws.

Caden Hinker led the way with 17 points while Sam Rensch added 15 points and two steals. Tanner Te Slaa knocked down a pair of 3-pointers while scoring 12 points. Tameron Ferguson filled it up again, scoring nine points and grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds while adding six assists and two steals. 

The game was a slugfest to start as the Vikings didn't score for the first 4:23 of action before a Hinker layup brought the Vikings to a 7-2 deficit. The Vikings spent the next five minutes on a run as a Hinker 3-pointer highlighted a 12-2 run to give them a 14-9 lead at the 10:27 mark. 

After a WSU layup, Hinker started another run with a jumper. Rensch followed with a pull up jumper and, after a Warrior layup, Te Slaa hit a 3-pointer to bring the lead to 21-13 with 6:50 to go in the half. 

WSU chipped back within a point before a Rensch 3-pointer and Hinker layup just before the break gave them a 28-22 lead at the break. After a slow start, the Vikings shot 12 of 22 from the field in the final 16 minutes of action while Hinker scored nine points and Ferguson had five rebounds and four assists. 

Te Slaa opened the second half scoring with a 3-pointer and Rensch added a dunk off a backdoor drop off from Hinker. Ferguson scored his first points of the night with a 3-pointer at the 16:34 mark, pushing the Vikings to a 36-22 lead. 

After the teams went back and forth, Hinker converted an and-one with 9:21 to play for AU's largest lead of the night at 45-30 with 9:21 to go. WSU got within single digits after a 7-0 run with 5:46 to play.

The Vikings countered with a 5-0 run, led by three Hinker points, to grow the lead back to 12. A 6-0 Warrior run followed to bring them all the way back within 54-48 with 1:35 remaining. Hinker knocked down a pair of clutch free throws on the ensuing possession and Rensch added two of his own to build the lead back to 10 points. From there, WSU outscored AU by two points the rest of the way to bring the game to its final score. 

The Vikings return home Thursday, hosting Minnesota State on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.