Box Score
Augustana outscored Southwest Minnesota State 30-3 in the first 8-plus minutes of the second half to break open a close game and cruise to an 89-58 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victory Friday night at the Elmen Center.
The 23rd-ranked Vikings improved to 15-2 overall and 8-2 in the NSIC while Southwest Minnesota State dropped to 9-7 overall and 4-6 in the league. With St. Cloud State's 76-60 loss at U-Mary, Augustana is alone in second place in the conference standings.
Augustana came out on fire in the second half. After leading 37-31 at halftime, the Vikings scored the first 7 points of the half to push their lead to 44-31 with 18:10 on the clock.
Following a 3-pointer by SMSU's Jordan Miller, the Vikings scored the next 23 points to increase the Augie advantage to 67-34 with 11:45 remaining in the second half.
Augustana made 11 of 13 shots from the field, including all 5 3-point attempts, and 3 of 3 free throws during the rally.
Cameron McCaffrey was the main sharpshooter. McCaffrey scored 11 of his game-high 19 points during the outburst, including 3 treys.
The Vikings enjoyed their best night of the season from the 3-point line, where they shot 68 percent from the arc. Augustana made 15 of 22 3-point shots in the game, including 8 of 9 attempts in the second half.
McCaffrey drained all 5 of his 3-point attempts in the game, while
David Foster made 4 of 7 attempts. In all, 6 different players made at least 1 3-pointer.
The first half was a 3-point shooting barrage for Augustana as the Vikings built a 28-13 lead with 8:43 left in the half. Augustana scored 18 of its first 20 points from the 3-point line as the Vikings made 6 of their first 7 shots from downtown.
However, Southwest Minnesota State found its shooting range. The Mustangs knocked down 4 3-pointers during a 16-7 run that saw SMSU cut the deficit to 6 points at 35-29 with 2:22 left in the first half.
For the game, Augustana shot a season-best 56.4 percent (31 of 55) from the field. The Vikings' 15 3-pointers were also a season high.
For its part, Southwest Minnesota State also shot well. The Mustangs shot 42.6 percent (20 of 47) from the field and 52.4 percent (11 of 21) from 3-point range.
McCaffrey led 3 Vikings in double figures. Including his 19 points off the bench, Foster finished wiht 18 points, while
Cody Schilling added 13.
Augustana is at home again on Saturday as the Vikings will take on league-leading Minnesota State University, Mankato, in a 7 p.m. game at the Elmen Center. MSU is 17-0 overall and 10-0 in the NSIC. The Mavericks are ranked third in the country and have a 2-game lead over the Vikings in the league standings.
Saturday's game is also designated as White Out Night. All Viking fans are encouraged to wear white to the game.
