DULUTH, Minn. — The St. Scholastica men's basketball team faced a strong Augsburg University squad Wednesday night at Reif Gymnasium, falling 95–70 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action.

St. Scholastica stayed competitive early behind balanced scoring and efficient interior play, but Augsburg used a strong shooting performance and a decisive second half to pull away on the road.

Davion Butler (South Phoenix, AZ/) led the Saints with 16 points, adding seven rebounds and three assists, while Jayden Brown (Grantsburg, WI/Grantsburg HS) and Aaron Keykal (Princeton, MN/Princeton HS) each finished with 14 points. Keykal was particularly efficient, going 7-of-9 from the field and pulling down eight rebounds in 29 minutes.

The Saints shot 47.8 percent from the floor and 87.5 percent at the free-throw line, but struggled to find consistency from beyond the arc, finishing 4-of-16 (25.0%) from three-point range. St. Scholastica totaled 30 rebounds and moved the ball well at times, recording 14 assists on 22 made field goals.

Augsburg countered with a balanced offensive effort, shooting 58.3 percent overall and 50.0 percent from three. Elias Batala and Hanif Muhammad paced the Auggies with 16 points apiece, while JJ Semanko added 15 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Keenan Rodriguez chipped in 12 points to round out four Augsburg players in double figures.

After Augsburg built a lead late in the first half, the visitors opened the second half with an extended scoring run to create separation. The Saints continued to compete on both ends and generated quality looks, but were unable to string together enough stops to slow Augsburg's momentum.

St. Scholastica falls to 6-13 overall, and 2-7 in MIAC play. Up next, the Saints are back at home to take on Saint John's on Saturday, January 31. Tip off is set for 3:00p.m.