MINOT, N.D. - The 21st ranked Augustana men's basketball  team (7-2, 3-1 NSIC) suffered their first conference loss of the season after a stunning 88-84 defeat at the hands of Minot State (5-5, 1-3 NSIC) who had not won a conference game this season.

After trailing 2-0 in the first minute of the game, Augustana got rolling with back-to-back triples from Mike Busack, who then hit a midrange jumper to give the Vikings an 8-2 lead early in the contest. For the next five minutes of the game the Vikings were able to maintain a five point advantage before the Beavers tied the game at 17.

After Minot State took their first lead since it was 2-0, the Beavers went on a 13-0 run to take a 25-17 lead with 8:14 left in the half. Augustana was able to score four straight to cut the deficit to four, but then Minot State scored four of their own. The Vikings kept chipping away at the Minot State lead but a layup from the Beavers with one second left in the half gave Minot State a 39-35 lead at the half.

With the Vikings being a second half team all season, they looked primed to come out of the gates swinging to take control of the game. Zach Huisken opened the second half with a layup on an assist from Adam Beyer to cut the deficit to just two. Instead, it was Minot State who went on a early run to take a 10-point lead at 49-39.

Augustana continued to chip away at the deficit with Busack continue to hot shots from behind the arc. After Busack hit two three's to make it 54-47 Beavers, they again were able to stretch the lead to double-digits.

Augustana struggled for much of the second half getting any closer than seven points until late in the game. With time running out the Vikings made one last push to tie the game. They got to within three points at 87-84, but Minot State closed the door at the foul line, going 10-of-13 in the final 1:23 of the game, to win it 88-84.

Viking of the Game
Mike Busack was the high scorer for the game with 25-points in 31 minutes of action. His 25-points are also a season-high. Busack was an impressive 6-of-12 from behind the arc and 8-of-14 from the field. He was 3-of-3 from the free throw line and added six rebounds to his statistics.

Viking Notables
• This is Augustana's first ever loss to Minot State. They fall to 5-1 in the all-time series
• The Vikings drop to 2-1 when the game is played in Minot, N.D.
• Jordan Spencer was second on the team in scoring with 20-points
• Beyer had 18-points and five boards
• Augustana shot 38 percent from behind the arc and 48 percent from the field while Minot State shot 53 percent from deep and 54 percent from the field
• The Vikings shot 91 percent from the charity stripe
• Lucas Walford had all four of Augustana's blocks against the Beavers
• Spencer had seven assists
• For the seventh time this season Augustana has had a player reach at least 20-points
• The Vikings extended their consecutive games with a three-pointer to 380
• There was only one tie and one lead change in the game
• Augustana was outrebounded for just the third time this season
• The Vikings had 17 second chance points to Minot's four

Up Next
The Vikings will continue their road trip tomorrow night against the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.