MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The St. Olaf College men's basketball team overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to pick up a 72-68 road victory over Augsburg University in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) action on Saturday afternoon at Si Melby Hall.

Augsburg (4-10, 2-7 MIAC) led by as many as 17 points late in the first half and still led by double figures with less than 13 minutes remaining before St. Olaf (9-5, 5-4 MIAC) outscored the hosts by a 31-16 margin over the final 12:53 of the game. The Oles took the lead for good with 6:44 left and led by as many as nine late before holding off a fightback by the Auggies over the final two minutes.

Junior Connor Martin led the second-half comeback by St. Olaf by recording 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists after the break. The Oles shot 66.7 percent (20-for-30) from the field and outrebounded the Auggies by an 18-9 margin in the second half.

Martin had his fourth 20-point performance of the season by scoring a game-high 20 points to go with seven rebounds, a game-high seven assists, and three steals for St. Olaf. First year Kobe Kirk added 12 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes, while senior Michael Meriggioli added 11 points and four assists. Senior Josh Albers and junior Caleb Greer provided lifts off the bench for the Oles, combining for 11 second-half points.

The Auggies jumped out to a 7-0 lead over the first four minutes, as Colin Meade – who led all scorers with 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting – scored the first seven points of the afternoon. Kirk scored the next five points to get St. Olaf on the board, but the Oles never trailed in the opening half.

Augsburg held its largest lead of the game at 36-19 with 1:42 to go in the first half before St. Olaf closed the half on a 6-0 run to trim its deficit to 11 at the break. The Oles shot at just a 39.3 percent clip (11-for-28) and were outrebounded by a 23-14 margin in the opening half.

In the second half, Augsburg continued to lead by at least eight until St. Olaf went on a 12-0 run over the span of four-plus minutes to grab its first lead of the game at 53-52 with 8:30 to go when Martin found Greer for a baseline jumper. The basket was the first of five lead changes in less than two minutes of game time.

The Oles took the lead for good when Meriggioli found Martin for a layup with 6:44 to go to start a quick 7-0 run that included a corner three-pointer by Albers. St. Olaf extended its lead to nine, 67-58, with 1:53 remaining following a pair of free throws by Martin but went 1-for-4 at the free-throw line to help Augsburg climb within two at 68-66 with 47 seconds remaining.

Martin hit a fadeaway jumper along the baseline on the Oles' next possession to make it a four-point game and, after a dunk by Kayser Hassan with 2.2 seconds left, Meriggioli hit the first free throw with to seal St. Olaf's third-straight win at Si Melby Hall.

The Oles wrap up a run of four-straight road games with a trip to Duluth to face the College of St. Scholastica on Monday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m.