SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - No. 1 Augustana University (19-1, 16-0 NSIC) started out slow but found their rhythm to the tune of  shooting percentage of 52 percent on their way to defeating the Beavers of Minot State (10-12, 5-11 NSIC) 97-65. Casey Schilling once again ascended up the career scoring charts with another big game.

It took the Vikings three minutes to find the bottom of the bucket against Minot State, falling into an early 5-0 hole. An Adam Beyer steal leading to a Schilling layup would be just what the Vikings needed to jumpstart their motor. Augustana quickly regained the lead on a triple from Tanner Odegaard in the corner. The Vikings would keep their foot on the pedal in the first-half shooting 57 percent from the field and 44 percent from behind the arc as they took a 50-29 lead into the locker room.

The second-half went in favor of the Vikings as they continued to impose their will against the Beavers. The shooting percentage dropped just a bit but the team still shot 52 percent for the game on 35-of-67 shooting on their way to 32-point victory.

VIKING OF NOTE
Senior Alex Richter continues to play well with his third consecutive double-figure scoring night. Richter scored 17-points against Minot State and is now averaging 14.5 points per game. Richter was 6-of-10 from the field and 3-of-5 from behind the 3-point arc while going a perfect 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Richter also added three rebounds and three assist to his totals.

VIKING QUICK HITS
• For the second consecutive night Schilling moved up the Augustana all-time scoring list passing Jason Garrow for seventh all-time. A triple in the first half would give Schilling 1,705 points. He ended the day with 22-points and now has 1,712 points in his career
• With the win the Vikings have won 19 consecutive games which ties a program record set in 2014-15. Their 19 straight games is the best mark in Division II and tied for third best across all three divisions.
• The win also gives the Vikings a share of the South Division Title
• Dan Jansen scored 13-points giving him 1,939 points in his career. Jansen needs just 26-points to pass Cam McCaffrey for the top spot
• 12 different Vikings scored against the Beavers
• Augustana beat Minot State in points in the paint 42-30
• The Vikings scored 22-points off turnovers compared to just seven for the Beavers
• Augustana got 34-points from their bench

UP NEXT
The Vikings will be on the road for the next two weekends. This coming weekend Augustana will travel to Northern State on Friday and MSU Moorhead on Saturday. Tip-off against Northern State is scheduled for 8 p.m. with Saturday's game against MSU Moorhead slated for a 6 p.m. start.