MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's men's basketball team (1-15, 0-7) couldn't quite close the gap Wednesday night, falling 74–61 to Augsburg (12-3, 5-1) at Si Melby Hall. The Cardinals got a spark from their bench, which accounted for 32 points, but Augsburg led wire to wire and never let Saint Mary's fully seize momentum.

Reid Weckwerth paced the Cardinals with 23 points, knocking down 9-of-15 shots from the floor and burying three triples. Jackson Harvey was a force on the glass, pulling down 16 rebounds to go with eight points and a block. Reid Klug chipped in 16 points and eight boards while staying perfect at the free-throw line, and Sawyer Markham added five assists and five points to keep the offense moving.

The opening minutes were back and forth before Augsburg began to create separation.

Saint Mary's showed flashes midway through the first half, highlighted by Harvey finishing a layup off a Klug assist at the 17:39 mark, but turnovers and Augsburg's success on second-chance opportunities made it difficult to sustain a run. 

The Auggies carried a 40–28 lead into halftime.

Saint Mary's came out firing in the second half, ripping off a 9–0 run to pull within two. 

Klug opened the surge with a layup at 19:22, and Harvey capped it at 16:56 to make it 40–38. Augsburg answered quickly, however, pushing the lead back to double digits. 

Weckwerth continued to attack, scoring 17 of his points after halftime, but the Cardinals couldn't get closer down the stretch as Augsburg closed out the 74–61 win.

This game marked the only game of the week for the Cardinals as the next game for the team will be next Wednesday, Jan. 21 hosting St. Olaf at 7:30 p.m. for a "Night in the Nest" doubleheader showdown.

Let's pack the arena as the first 50 students will receive a free t-shirt and free pizza while supplies last.