Box Score
One night after shooting a sultry 55 percent, the Vikings were held to 35 percent shooting in an 81-68 loss to Winona State Saturday in Winona, Minn.
Augustana dropped to 16-7 overall at 10-6 in conference play while Winona State improved to 20-6 and 13-4 in the NSIC.
The Vikings opened the game as it had the previous night; hitting many of their early shots and taking an 8-4 lead three minutes into the game on a made jump shot by Cody Schilling. The teams battled back and forth to a 20-20 tie with 5:46 remaining when Winona State mounted a 15-8 run to end the half and go to the halftime break up 35-28.
Augie opened the second stanza with a quick 9-2 run of its own to tie the game at 37-37 after Eric Krogman's layup with 17:29 remaining.
WSU's offense then caught fire, as the Warriors pushed the lead into double digits and had answers for several Augie runs. A tip-in by David Johnson pushed the WSU lead up to a dozen (60-48) with 7:45 remaining, and a layup by Ben Fischer pushed the lead back up to 67-56 with four and a half minutes to play.
A made three-pointer by David Foster drew the Vikings within eight at the 3:45 mark, but WSU made 14-of-18 free throws in the last four minutes to keep the Vikings at bay and secure the 81-68 victory.
The Vikings outrebounded the Warriors 47 to 40, but the Warriors were able to force 17 Augie turnovers while committing only seven.
Mike Klepatz led the Vikings with 12 points, while Foster and Krogman scored 11. WSU's Fischer led all scorers with 28, while Travis Whipple contributed 19.
The Vikings will return home to the Elmen Center next weekend to face the University of Mary. Friday's game is scheduled to tip after the conclusion of the women's game.
