The No. 4 ranked Packers matched Owatonna’s size and had a big night from the 3-point line as they cruised past the Huskies 68-45 in Packer Gym Friday.

Austin (10-2 overall, 6-0 Big Nine) pulled down 12 offensive rebounds and Owatonna (4-7 overall, 2-4 Big Nine) out-rebounded Austin just 36-31, despite having a height advantage.

“We knew they were going to be tough and physical inside,” said Austin center Curtis Oberbroeckling, who had four points and three blocked shots. “We had to battle up and be as strong as we could. We did a pretty good job of that and it was a team effort.”

Austin went 11-for-24 on 3-pointers in the win and it jumped out to a 28-10 lead to open the game. Gach Gach got things going with a pair of 3-pointers and a couple menacing blocked shots.

“Gach got us off to a great start,” Austin head coach Kris Fadness said. “He hit those threes and he started blocking shots. He was an intimidating presence for us. Curt probably had his best game in a long time. He was blocking shots and he was a factor.”

Gach finished with nine points, six rebounds and three blocks and Bret Lukes had 20 points, three assists and three steals.

“The past few games we had trouble rebounding. Tonight we had a bunch of offensive rebounds and that helped keep us pumped up,” Lukes said. “We had really good ball movement tonight. We were getting everybody open and we were able to knock down shots.”

Austin threw the knockout blow in the first half as it led 35-16 at break and the Huskies never got closer than 20 in the second half. Zach Wessels had seven points, four assists and four steals for Austin.

“The first nine minutes of the game is about as well as we’ve played all year on offense. It was fun to see us setting the ball and snapping the ball,” Fadness said. “It was a good night for us. There’s not too many years that you play an Owatonna team and have this type of performance.”

Owatonna 16 29 — 45

Austin 35 33 — 68

Austin scoring: Bret Lukes, 20; Gach Gach, 9; Ajuda Nywesh, 8; Zach Wessels, 7; Zach Coffey, 4; Curtis Oberbroeckling, 4; Noah Brehmer, 3; Dylan Gasner, 2; Taylor Peck, 1; Jon Knorr, 1; field goals: 41 percent (19-for-46); 3-pointers: 46 percent (11-for-24); free throws: 70 percent (19-for-27); rebounds: 31 (Gach, 6); turnovers: 10