Box Score
All five Augustana starters scored in double digits to propel the Vikings to a 76-59 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference win over Wayne State Saturday night at the Elmen Center.
The Vikings (15-6, 9-5 NSIC) shot 50 percent from the field and committed a season-low 9 turnovers to gain the season sweep over Wayne State (8-13, 4-10 NSIC).
Augustana used a big run midway through the first half to grab control of the game. Leading 18-14, the Vikings outscored WSC 18-7 over a 9-minute stretch to take a 15-point lead at 36-21 with 4:44 left in the half.
However, Augustana scored just two baskets the rest of the half, enabling the Wildcats to close out the period with a 13-4 run to make it a 40-34 halftime lead for the Vikings.
Augustana regrouped at halftime and came out strong. Holding onto a 42-38 lead with 19 minutes left in the game,
Mike Klepatz triggered a 15-2 run with 7 straight points to help the Vikings open up its largest lead to that point at 57-40 with 15:02 left on the clock.
The Vikings then went 6:32 without scoring. However, Wayne State could not capitalize as the Wildcats mustered just 9 points during that time to cut the deficit to 57-49. Back-to-back 3-pointers by
Marques Blank and
David Foster pushed the advantage to 63-49 at the 7-minute mark.
Augustana later led 67-56 with 2:21 to play before scoring 9 unanswered points to take its largest lead of the game at 76-56 with just under a minute to play in the contest.
The Vikings shot 50 percent from the field for the game, connecting on 31 of 62 shots. Meanwhile, WSC shot 43.6 percent, making 24 of 55 attempts. The Wildcats, which shot just under 52 percent in the first half, shot just 36 percent in the second half, while the Vikings heated up to 52 percent.
Turnovers also played a factor. While Augustana turned the ball over only 9 times, including 3 in the first half, Wayne State committed 20 turnovers.
Blank paced the Vikings with 17 points. Foster,
Lee Stephens and
Cody Schilling all scored 13 points, while Klepatz finished with 11 points and 4 steals in his first start of the season.
Jonathon Thomas led all scorers wtih 28 points. He was the only Wildcat in double figures.
Augustana ventures out on the road next week for a pair of key NSIC games. On Friday, the Vikings play at Upper Iowa before facing Winona State on Saturday. Both games are scheduled for 8 p.m. starts.
