SIOUX FALLS – All nine Vikings to play in Tuesday's game with Wayne State scored at least two points, and Augustana fought off a late Wildcat charge to secure an 80-70 win at the Sioux Falls Arena in the final game before the holiday break.
 
The win boosts the Vikings to 8-4 on the season, while the Wildcats fall to 8-6. Both teams enter the break with the same 3-3 mark in NSIC play.
 
The teams played to an early 14-all tie, with six different Vikings scoring the first 14 points for Augustana, and five different Wildcats combining to score the first 14 points for Wayne State. Matt Cartwright broke the streak with his second field goal of the game with just under 12 minutes left in the first half to give Augie a 16-14 lead, only to see Vance Janssen make his second field goal, a 3-pointer, to put the Wildcats back in front.
 
Down 21-20 with under eight minutes left in the first half, the Vikings scored six straight points to go up 26-21, drawing a timeout from the Wayne State bench, which worked, as the Wildcats scored the next seven points to regain the lead at 28-26 with under five minutes to play in the half.
 
Two lead changes later, with the Wildcats leading 32-29, the Vikings closed the half on a 9-0 run to take a 38-32 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
The run reached 11-0 as the Vikings scored first in the second half, and a 12-2 run a few minutes later pushed the lead to 15 points, at 54-39 with 13 minutes, 51 seconds left in the game, and even though the Wildcats mounted a late charge to cut a 20-point lead down to 10, they would not get any closer. 
 
Steven Schaefer led a trio of Vikings in double figures with a game-high 21 points. Cartwright added 15 points off the bench, while Marcus Asmus finished with 11 points, including some key free throws and a layup late in the game. He also added nine rebounds to tie for game-high honors with Adam Dykman, who pitched in with eight points as well.
 
Jordan Spencer scored nine points, and added seven rebounds and a game-high eight assists.
 
Kendall Jacks and Vance Janssen scored 12 points to lead the Wildcats, with Jordan Conelius finishing with 10 points in the loss.
 
Winners of two straight at home, the Vikings return to the road after the holiday break to take on Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday, Dec. 30, followed by a contest at Sioux Falls on Sunday, Dec. 31.
 
NOTES: Augustana leads the all-time series with Wayne State, 31-15, with an 18-6 edge in home games … Augie improves to 36-4 at the Arena since returning in in 2014-15 and to 7-1 this season when leading at the half … the game featured five ties and 17 lead changes, all in the first half … the Vikings used the same five starters in all 12 games this season

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