Box Score
Behind a career-best scoring performance from
Nathan Truex and timely 3-point shooting, Augustana won its sixth-straight game by defeating Minnesota Duluth 73-58 Sunday in Duluth, Minn.
The Vikings, ranked No. 24 in the nation, improved to 11-1 on the season and 4-1 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Meanwhile, Minnesota Duluth slipped to 6-7 overall and 3-3 in the conference.
Augustana fell behind early in the contest as the Vikings could not get their shots to fall. Augie began the game by making only 2 of its first 17 shots. That enabled Minnesota Duluth, who made 4 of its first 9 shots, to build a 15-6 lead with 12:43 left in the first half.
But the Vikings heated up as Augustana answered with a 10-3 run, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers by
David Foster and
Jordan Dalton, to trim the deficit to 18-16 with 10:41 left in the half.
Following a 3-pointer by UMD's Jordan Schade, Augustana scored 11 of the next 13 points to claim a 27-23 lead with 6:38 to play in the period.
Schade again made a 3-pointer but Foster countered with a 3-pointer and Truex added a pair of buckets to stretch the lead to 8 at 34-26 with just over 4 minutes to play in the half. UMD managed to outscore the Vikings 4-0 the rest of the half to cut the Augustana advantage to 34-30 at intermission.
Augustana broke open the game at the outset of the second half. The Vikings, behind 5 points from Truex, opened the half with a 12-3 run to take a 46-33 lead 16:33 left in the game.
Truex, who scored 14 of his career-high 18 points in the second half, helped the Vikings maintain a double-digit lead the rest of the game.
UMD eventually pulled to within 11 points with just over 6 minutes to play. But Truex took over to seal the win. Truex scored 9 points during an 11-2 run to give the Vikings their largest lead of the game at 73-53 with 2:48 left on the clock.
Truex, who also grabbed 7 rebounds, made 7 of 11 shots from the field, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range. Augustana actually shot better outside the 3-point line than inside it. The Vikings shot 36.4 percent (24 of 66) overall from the field, but they were 10 of 17 (58.8 percent) from the 3-point line.
Foster joined Truex in double figures with 14 points. He was 4 of 5 from 3-point range.
Lee Stephens added 13 points, while
Cameron McCaffrey came off the bench to score 10 points.
Derrick De Zeeuw also had a strong game off the bench. Although he did not score, he ripped down 8 rebounds and blocked 4 shots.
The Vikings also won the rebounding and turnover battles. Augustana outrebounded UMD 44-36. The Vikings also committed only 5 turnovers in the game, while the Bulldogs turned the ball over 13 times.
Ron White led all scorers with 21 points. Rhett McDonald added 11 points in a losing effort for the Bulldogs.
Augustana returns home next weekend for a pair of home NSIC games. On Friday, January 8, Augustana will face Minnesota State Moorhead at 8 p.m. Then on Saturday, January 9, the Vikings will square off against Minnesota, Crookston, at 7 p.m.
