Box Score
Augustana used a well-balanced attack to subdue Minnesota, Crookston 64-59 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball action Saturday night at Lysaker Gymnasium in Crookston, Minn.
The Vikings had 5 players score between 9 and 12 points as they improved to 11-3 overall and 5-2 in the NSIC. Minnesota, Crookston, dropped to 3-13 overall and 1-7 in the NSIC. More importantly, Augustana improved to 4-1 on the road in league play as the Vikings have won 4 straight NSIC road outings.
Augustana led for nearly the entire game but could not break open the game. The Vikings grabbed an early 15-7 with 14:17 left in the first half, but UMC rallied with a 9-1 run to tie the score at 16-16 with 7:36 left in the half.
The Vikings responded with a 10-3 run, including 4 points each from
Eric Krogman and
Lee Stephens, to push the lead to 26-19 with 2:24 left in the half, but the Golden Eagles managed to cut the deficit to 30-27 at halftime.
Minnesota, Crookston quickly tied the game at 30-30 to start the second half, but
Marques Blank scored 7 points and dished out an assist to spark an 11-4 run that gave Augie a 41-34 lead with 16:22 to play in the game. The big blow was a traditional 3-point play to cap the surge.
The Golden Eagles narrowed the gap to 5 points at 48-43 but
Jordan Dalton knocked down a 3-pointer and followed it with a jumper to push the lead to double digits at 53-43 with 9:52 left in the contest.
Augustana led by 11 at 57-46 with 7:32 on the clock and by 10 points, 60-50, with 3:27 to play, but UMC scored 5 straight points to cut the deficit in half at 60-55 with just over 2 minutes remaining. But Krogman, who finished with a team-high 12 points and 8 rebounds, converted a layup and later added a pair of free throws to help the Vikings secure the victory.
Augustana shot well from the field, but not the free throw line. The Vikings made 27 of 52 (52 percent) field goal attempts, but just 5 of 12 (42 percent) of their free throws.
Conversely, Minnesota, Crookston, shot 40 percent (23 of 58) from the field, including a 9-for-23 effort from 3-point range. The Golden Eagles made 4 of 5 charity tosses.
Blank joined Krogman in double digits with 11 points. Meanwhile, Stephens,
Cody Schilling and
David Foster all scored 9 points.
Akeem Cubie led three Golden Eagles in double figures with 19 points, while Matt Pelzer scored 13 points and Derik Hawkey added 11 points.
The Vikings return home next weekend for a key NSIC series against Upper Iowa on Friday night and defending national champion Winona State on Saturday. Friday's game tips off at 8 p.m., while Saturday's game tips off at 8:05 p.m. and will be televised by Midcontinent Communications (MC23 in Sioux Falls).
