BOX SCORE
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -
Cody Schilling scored 25 points and
Derrick De Zeeuw logged Augustana's first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Vikings to a 75-65 victory over Concordia University, St. Paul Tuesday night in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference basketball in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Augustana moves to 7-5 (4-4 NSIC); CU drops to 7-4 (4-3 NSIC).
Cameron McCaffrey also reached double figures for the Vikings, finishing with 20 points.
Brent Barz and Isaiah Thomas each scored 15 points for the Golden Bears.
Augustana held just a one-point lead with 3:35 left in the contest, but the Vikings managed to pull away with eight free throws and buckets from McCaffrey and
Leif Nomeland down the stretch.
The Vikings owned a 42-34 advantage on the glass, paced by De Zeeuw's 11 rebounds.
Behind 18 first-half points from Schilling, the Vikings led all but eight minutes of the first half.
Augustana, though, did face a five-point difference early after the Golden Bears created a 9-4 lead for themselves. A subsequent 15-4 run by the Vikings—keyed by 11 points from Schilling—allowed Augustana to earn a 19-13 lead at the 10:24 mark.
Seven minutes later, it was a Schilling 3-pointer that gave his team their largest lead of the half, 11 points, at 34-23.
But CU, aided by a pair of 3-pointers from Tyler Courtney, closed the half on an 11-2 surge and trailed 36-34 at the break.
Augustana never trailed in the second half, though CU tied the score once and had the difference down to one point on four different occasions.
The Vikings were owners of a relatively comfortable nine-point lead with 6:34 left after De Zeeuw sank an easy bucket, but the Golden Bears strung together seven unanswered points to trail by just two points with five minutes to go.
After a pair of Schilling free throws, CU returned the difference to two points three more times before Augustana closed the game with six straight free throws in the final 30 seconds to pull away.
The Vikings found their stride at the line, connecting on 17 of 20 free throws and not missing any of their 10 attempts in the game's closing five minutes.
Augustana also committed just seven turnovers on the evening--its lowest output in NSIC play this season.
The Vikings continue conference play this weekend with trips to Bemidji State and Minnesota Duluth on Saturday and Sunday. Tip for both games is 4 p.m.
