BOX SCORE
MARSHALL, Minn. - Southwest Minnesota State made a late-game lead stick and collected an 80-77 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victory over Augustana Saturday evening.
SMSU moves to 12-9 (11-6 NSIC), while Augustana falls to 13-8 (10-7 NSIC).
The Vikings had a chance to tie the game as time expired, but
Cody Schilling's 3-point attempt rimmed out. SMSU's Matt Zager missed the second try of a bonus opportunity with six second left to give Augustana that last possession.
Zager finished with a game-high 19 points for the Mustangs, who fell to the Vikings earlier this season in Sioux Falls.
Four from Augustana reached double figures.
Drae Murray scored 18, Schilling had 16 and
Yuriy Malashenko and
Cameron McCaffrey each added 10.
Augustana shot a solid 50 percent (27 of 54) from the field, but the Mustangs bettered the Vikings with a 58.8-percent (30 of 51) performance.
The Vikings held a 74-70 with 3:18 left. but the Mustangs closed the game on a 10-3 run.
Augustana did manage a season-high 11 3-pointers in the loss.
The Vikings clung to a 36-35 lead after both teams shot better than 45 percent in the opening 20 minutes. Augustana went 14 of 40 (46.7 percent) from the floor, while SMSU went 13 of 26 (50 percent).
The Mustangs led 14-6 with 11:43 remaining before intermission.
Augustana and SMSU exchanged eight leads in the first half, but McCaffrey's mid-range jumper just before the horn gave his team the halftime advantage.
Murray led all scorers with nine points in the first half.
A tight second half saw the Vikings earn as large as a six-point lead at 69-63 with 6:44 to play, but the Mustangs' game-changing surge in the final three minutes sunk the Vikings.
The win by SMSU moved the Mustangs out of a tie with Augustana in the conference standings. SMSU is now sixth, while the Vikings are seventh.
Augustana will host Northern State and U-Mary next Friday and Saturday.
