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ABERDEEN, S.D. - No. 16 Augustana kept its flawless Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference record intact with a 76-68 victory over Northern State Saturday night in Aberdeen, S.D.
Augustana, which earned its seventh-consecutive win over the Wolves, improves to 7-1 (4-0 NSIC). NSU falls to 6-2 (2-2 NSIC).
The Vikings are one of three teams remaining in the NSIC with blemish-free conference marks. MSU Moorhead and Winona State are also perfect in league play.
Four Vikings scored in double figures in Augustana's fourth-straight win.
Cameron McCaffrey netted 20 points,
Cody Schilling scored 14,
Yuriy Malashenko had 12 and
Drae Murray finished with 11.
Schilling and Malashenko each registered six rebounds.
Collin Pryor scored 20 points for NSU.
Augustana never trailed in the contest and hit 10 3-pointers, getting three each from McCaffrey and Murray and four from Malashenko.
NSU shot nearly 60 percent in the first half, but with six minutes to go before intermission, Augustana had already built its first double-figure lead. It was the result of a 7-2 nudge from the Vikings that saw Schilling score four points and Murray drill a 3-pointer to put Augustana ahead 34-23.
The Wolves scored the final five points of the first half and trailed 36-30 at the break.
McCaffrey logged 14 first-half points for Augustana.
NSU used the first six minutes of the second half to nearly erase the Viking lead. Two free throws by Seth Bachand with 13:52 left cut the Augustana advantage to 42-40.
A pair of 3-pointers from Malashenko in the next two minutes fended off the Wolves, and the Vikings enjoyed at least a four-point lead for the remainder of the contest.
NSU was within six points in the final 30 seconds, but McCaffrey drained four free throws down the stretch to secure the Augustana win.
The Wolves held a 37-32 rebound advantage--the largest negative deficit for the Vikings in conference play this season.
Augustana made a season-high 27 trips to the free-throw line, though the Vikings converted just 18 of those tries.
The Vikings' 4-0 effort to begin to the NSIC season is their best conference start since the 1977-78 season when they went 5-0 to open play in the North Central Conference.
Augustana hosts Minnesota, Crookston and MSU Moorhead next Saturday and Sunday.
