By Jackson Gerber, Staff Writer

The 2017 Auggie basketball season is underway, and both men’s and women’s teams are looking to improve on last years success. The men’s basketball team, lead by standout senior Colin Olmscheid, has jumped out to a 3-0 record to start their campaign. The season began with the dismantling of Northland College where Olmscheid scored 23 points to lead the Auggies to a 72-44 victory at Si Melby.

Kevin McKiernan was an assist away from a double-double, recording 10 points and nine assists on the night. The Auggies then traveled to take on the U of M-Morris. This was a much more competitive game, as the Auggies defeated Morris 81-76. Once again Olmscheid lead all scorers with 25 points. It was the Cobbers of Concordia, Moorhead, who were up next on the schedule. Augsburg took care of business on their home court as all good teams do by winning 80-63. The Auggies used a balanced scoring attack with five players scoring in double figures. McKiernan was the leading scorer with 17 points.

The man snagged another MIAC victory on Nov. 29 defeating Bethel 87- 74.

The women’s team started out the season 0-2 with road losses to UW-Superior, and Martin Luther College. The Auggies quickly regrouped and are now on a three-game winning streak. Much like the men’s team, they took care of business in their home opener defeating St. Scholastica 70-63. Four Auggies scored in double figures with sophomore Tamira McLemore leading the way with 13 points. The team took a Thanksgiving trip to Los Angeles where they dominated the competition. McLemore was the leading scorer in both games, putting up 13 in an 81-54 drubbing of Caltech, and then 24 in a 74-59 win against Occidental College.

Coming out of Thanksgiving break, look for both teams to continue their success on the hardwood.

This article first appeared in the Friday, December 1, 2017, Edition of The Echo.