Box Score
Augustana's strong second-half comeback fell short as Southwest Minnesota State held off the Vikings for a 64-57 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victory Friday night in Marshall, Minn.
The 22nd-ranked Vikings slipped to 13-4 overall and 7-3 in the NSIC, while the Mustangs improved to 14-5 overall and 7-3 in the conference.
Augustana, which had its four-game winning streak snapped, never found its shooting touch from the field as the Vikings shot just 36.5 percent for the game, making 19 of 52 shots. It was just the third time this season that the Vikings have failed to shoot 40 percent from the field.
Despite trailing by 18 points, 35-17 with just under 3 minutes left in the first half, the Vikings clawed their way back into the game. Augie scored 8 unanswered points late in the first half to pull within 10 at 35-25 with 1:17 left before the break.
Mike Klepatz scored all 6 of his points during this stretch as he converted a pair of 3-point plays.
However, SMSU's Scott Roehl scored with 33 seconds left on the clock to give the hosts a 37-25 halftime advantage.
Augustana made a strong run at the outset of the second half.
David Foster and
Eric Krogman each knocked down 3-pointers to draw the Vikings within 6 pionts at 41-35 with just under 17 minutes to play in the contest.
Southwest Minnesota State answered with an 11-4 run to push the lead to 13 at 52-39 with 11:17 remaining.
But the Vikings made another charge, thanks to their free throw shooting. Trailing 56-43 with 6:30 to play, Augustana outscored SMSU 12-2 to make it a 3-point game at 58-55 with 1:52 on the clock. Half of Augie's points came from the free throw line. The Vikings were 12 of 12 at the line in the second half and 17 of 18 for the game.
After a pair of free throws by SMSU's Taylor Huseby, Augie's
Chad Hettermann buried a jumper to again pull the Vikings within 3 at 60-57 with 1:12 to play. The Vikings got a stop on the Mustangs' next possession and had the ball with a chance to tie the game with a 3-pointer. However, a pass by
Jordan Dalton was stolen by SMSU's Ryan Krome. Krome then made 4-straight free throws to secure the Mustang win.
Lee Stephens led three Vikings in double figures with 16 points. Foster finished with 11 points, while
Cody Schilling added 10.
Krome was the only Mustang in double digits with 16 points.
The Mustangs, who shot 45.3 percent (24 of 53) from the field for the game, were dominant on the glass, outrebounding Augustana 39-26, limiting the Vikings to 9 offensive rebounds, while collecting 14 offensive boards of their own.
Augustana, which is now in a five-way tie for second place in the NSIC standings, will try to get back in the win column on Saturday when the Vikings travel to Mankato, Minn., to face 15th-ranked Minnesota State University, Mankato, in an 8 p.m. game.
