BOX SCORE
BOX SCORE
RAPID CITY, S.D. - Matthew Brazendale's career-high 25 points helped erase a first half deficit as Augustana beat South Dakota School of Mines and Technology 82-68 on Sunday evening. The Vikings improve to 4-3 on the season and the Hardrockers fall to 4-7.
Augustana erased a double-digit lead in the second half on the back of a 16-0 run led by Brazendale's 15 second-half points. Daniel Jansen scored 20 points in the game while Ethan Guske and Ben Shellim each used three 3-point field goals to arrive at their 11-point total.
Guske and Shellim sparked the game-clinching run with a pair of threes and a step back jumper over a one-minute span. Four different Vikings were involved in the scoring burst, but Brazendale's 12 points in the first eight minutes of the half gave the Vikings their first lead, 47-46, since the opening minutes of the game.
After their 16-0 surge, the Viking lead reached its pinnacle at 79-60 after a pair of Brazendale free throws. With the final punctuation mark, Tanner Odegaard broke the SDSMT press and fed Devin Gilligan who capped off the Victory with a one-handed dunk.
South Dakota Mines' first half run was led by Lance Kilburn's smooth shooting and the Hardrockers heating up from behind the arc. Kilburn finished the first half with 10 points on 3-4 shooting. Augustana was buoyed by Brazendale's 10 points to only be down eight, 36-28, entering halftime.
The Vikings held a brief lead early in the half, but the Hardrockers shot 52 percent from the field and hit five of their 10 three-point attempts. After SDSMT took a 16-8 lead, Brazendale scored the next seven Viking points, but the Hardrockers kept pace and eventually stretched the lead to 10 points.
Daniel Jansen hit a three as the shot clock was expiring to break up a 6-2 run by South Dakota Mines. Devin Gilligan brought the Hardrocker lead back down to single digits with a putback before the buzzer sounded.
Tale of the tape
Plenty of hot hands: Augustana hit 12 three-point field goals, the second time they've eclipsed double-digit makes from behind the arc. Matt Brazendale (four), Ben Shellim (three), and Daniel Jansen (two) each tied or set a new career-high in three-point makes.
Making turnovers count: Augustana forced 21 turnovers and converted those into 30 points. In the second half alone, The Vikings forced 14 SDSMT mistakes and turned those into 23 points. Augustana's 12 turnovers only led to nine points by the Hardrockers.
Awesome Aussies: Augustana's two Australia-born guards combined for 36 points, 23 in the second half as they both tallied career high-scoring totals.
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