SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – For the second straight night, Augustana University men's basketball (10-4, 5-3 NSIC) lost in the final seconds of the game. Drew Guebert hit a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left to give the University of Sioux Falls a 65-62 lead and the Cougars (8-8, 4-4 NSIC) held on for a 69-62 win in front of 2,765 fans at the Sioux Falls Arena on Saturday night.
 
This marks the first time Augustana has lost back-to-back NSIC games since Feb. 7-8, 2014.
 
The Vikings led by as much as nine in the second half before the Cougars were able to tie things up with 5:06 to player after a 3-pointer by Mack Johnson. Augustana and USF were tied five times in the final five minutes before Guebert's 3-pointer with 42 seconds left.
 
Mike Busack led Augustana in scoring for the second straight night. Busack finished with 18 points and a team-high six rebounds. Jordan Spencer added 11 points, four rebounds and two assists.
 
Augustana finished the game shooting 37.5 percent from the field, hitting 21 of 56 from the field. The Vikings were 5 of 22 (22.7 percent) from 3-point range and shot 68.2 percent (15 of 22) from the free throw line.
 
Zach Wessels led USF with 21 points and nine rebounds. Mack Johnson finished and Daniel Hurtt each pitched in with 17 points for the Cougars.
 
USF shot 40.3 percent (25 of 62) from the field and hit seven 3-pointers. The Cougars were 12 of 18 (66.7 percent) from the free throw line.
 
The Vikings and Cougars got off to a slow start shooting in the first half playing to a 29-29 tie at the end of the first. Augustana shot 39 percent from the field in the half, hitting 3 of 11 from 3-point range.
 
Augustana held a 16-13 advantage after Schaefer converted a 4-point play knocking down a 3-pointer while getting fouled. Schaefer hit the free throw out of the timeout giving his team the three-point lead.
 
Daniel Hurtt kept the Cougars alive in the first half scoring 16 of his team's 29 points. Hurtt hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give USF a 21-20 lead with 4:21 to play in the first. Beyer answered Hurtt's pair of threes with one of his own and the Vikings and Cougars played to three more tie scores ending the first half tied at 29.
 
The Vikings and Cougars played to four tie scores and changed leads nine times in the first half.
 
Spencer led the Vikings with seven points in the first half. Schaefer pitched in with six and Busack added four. Augustana was 4 of 8 from the free throw line in the first half.
 
USF finished the first half shooting 10 of 29 (35.5 percent) from the field. Hurtt hit all four of USF's four 3-pointers in the first half helping the Cougars go 4 of 15 from behind the arc.
 
The Vikings opened the second half on a 7-3 run to take a 36-32 lead. Busack started to heat up for Augustana and his 3-pointer with 17:15 to play gave the Vikings a four-point lead.
 
Augustana continued to play strong early in the second half building on its run and extending it to 15-8. The Vikings took the ball to the rack during the stretch getting 14 points either at the free throw line or in the paint to build a nine-point lead at 46-37.
 
The Cougars would not go away quietly as the Vikings went 2 for 5 during the next 5:35 allowing USF to cut the lead to one after a 14-5 run by the Cougars. Johnson tied the game at 51 with a 3-pointer and the back-and-forth affair began.
 
Busack hit a 3-pointer giving Augustana a 58-55 lead with 3:#1 to play but on USF's next possession, Wessels converted a 3-point-play to tie things up at 58.
 
With the game tied at 62, Guebert hit a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left and the Vikings were unable to get the game-tying shot and the Cougars held on for the win.
 
This marks Augustana's first loss to USF since Feb. 15, 2013 and the first home loss against USF since Nov. 22, 1994.
 
Augustana will hit the road next weekend for a pair of NSIC South Division match-ups. The Vikings play at Minnesota State on Friday, Jan. 6 at 8 p.m. before taking on Concordia-St. Paul at 6 p.m. on Saturday in St. Paul, Minnesota.