SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AUGUSTANA) — The Augustana men’s basketball team returns home following four consecutive road wins, hosting Bemidji State and Minnesota Duluth. Tip-off against the Beavers is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday before a 5:30 p.m., matchup on Saturday against the Bulldogs. This weekend also marks the first home weekend where the men are […]
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AUGUSTANA) — The Augustana men’s basketball team returns home following four consecutive road wins, hosting Bemidji State and Minnesota Duluth.
Tip-off against the Beavers is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday before a 5:30 p.m., matchup on Saturday against the Bulldogs. This weekend also marks the first home weekend where the men are playing AFTER the women, a format that will continue for the rest of the season.
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 Beavers
Bemidji State was picked to finish 12th in the NSIC poll and are 3-11 in conference play, currently riding an eight-game losing streak. John Pecarich leads the team with 21.5 points per game and 69 made 3-pointers while shooting 42.1 percent from deep. Henry Shannon III adds 17.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game and Eddie Jallow Hedqvist scored 10.3 points per game.
About the Bulldogs
Minnesota Duluth was picked to finish in a tie for fifth in the NSIC poll and are 8-6 in league play after sweeping Winona State and Concordia-St. Paul. Kole Jamson leads four in double figures with 14.6 points per game and 32 made 3-pointers, hitting them at a 39.5 percent clip while primarily coming off the bench.Caleb Siwek is scoring 13.6 points per game and Nick Katona leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per game.
Last Time Out
The Augustana men’s basketball team closed a perfect road stretch on Saturday night, knocking off UMary 76-41 at the McDowell Activity Center.
The Vikings nearly doubled-up the Marauders in field goal percentage, shooting 50 percent (33 for 66) while holding UMary to 26.2 percent (17 of 25). AU outrebounded the Marauders 47-40 while also holding large advantages in points off turnovers (26-10) and in the paint (38-14).
It was another 20-point night for Tameron Ferguson, who added four assists and a career-best nine rebounds while tallying two steals and a block. Caden Hinker added 14 points and seven rebounds while Sam Rensch had 13 points and a team-high five assists.
About the Vikings
Augustana is 12-7 overall and 10-4 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 20.5 points and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 54.7 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from deep. He has tallied at least 20 points in 12 of his last 15 games, including a 28-point performance against Sioux Falls on Dec. 6.
Ferguson is 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 at least 20 points and six assists per game. He is sixth in the country with a 3.35 assist/turnover ratio and is the engine for an offense that turns the ball over just 9.5 times a game, the second fewest total in the country.
After missing all of last season, Caden Hinker has been a dominant force in his return. The redshirt junior has recorded six double-doubles while leading the team with 7.2 rebounds per game, including 6.3 defensive rebounds per game. He’s second on the team with 15.3 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 13.4 points per game. He is second on the team with 2.4 assists per game and has grabbed 3.7 rebounds per contest. He has recorded a steal in 17 of 19 games and scored a season-high 24 points against Sioux Falls in 46 minutes on Dec. 6. He is tied for the team with 1.6 steals per game.
After being inserted into the starting lineup on Jan. 9, Brady Helgren took 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. He averaged 16.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in his first four starts while shooting 69.2 percent from the field and added 5.5 and 6.0 rebounds per game last weekend.
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 eight times, including all four times he has taken at least nine shots from the field. He’s fifth on the team with 8.7 points per game while grabbing 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting 63.1 percent from the field.
Tanner Te Slaa is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.1 points per game while adding 3.8 rebounds per game. The 2024-25 All-NSIC Second Team honoree has knocked down at least two 3-pointers in eight games this season with the Vikings holding a 7-1 record in those seven games. The Vikings are also 5-2 when Te Slaa scores in double figures.
Series History
Augustana and Bemidji State will match up for the 30th time all-time with the Vikings leading 20-9. AU has won the last three matchups and are 10-3 at home. The Vikings are tied 19-19 all-time against Minnesota Duluth and are 10-8 in Sioux Falls. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since the first round of the 2025 NSIC Tournament when Sam Rensch scored 19 points and Bennett Fried tallied 15 points and 12 rebounds as the Vikings upset UMD to reach the Sanford Pentagon.
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Category: General Sports
