SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana men's basketball jumped out to a 9-2 lead and never trailed picking up an 87-70 win over Winona State University (11-14, 8-13 NSIC) to earn its 20th victory of the season. The Vikings (20-7, 15-6 NSIC) have won 20-plus games in 7 of the last 10 years, including three straight season.

Augustana is ranked No 8 in the NCAA Central Region rankings.
 
Augustana head coach Tom Billeter, in his 14th season, has led the Vikings to seven 20-win seasons.
 
Mike Busack picked up his sixth 20-plus point performance of the season, leading the Vikings with 22 points to go with nine rebounds. Busack finished 8 of 14 from the field, including 6 of 9 from 3-point range.
 
John Warren put together an all-around strong performance finishing with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals. Warren was 6 of 10 from the field (2 of 4 from 3-point range) and 4 of 5 from the free throw line.
 
Huisken put up a season-high 15 points while Jordan Spencer pitched in with 12 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
 
Augustana out-rebounded Winona State 40-23 and finished the game shooting 48.3 percent from the field .The Vikings knocked down 11 of 26 from 3-point range, marking the third straight game with 10 or more 3-pointers.
 
Winona State was led by Riley Bambanek's 16 points. The Warriors shot 44.8 percent from the field, including 44 percent (11 of 25) from behind the arc.
 
The Vikings raced out to a 9-2 lead hitting 4 of their first 7 shots from the field forcing Winona State to burn a timeout just under three minutes into the game. Augustana pushed its lead up to 10 when Spencer found John Warren who spotted up to hit the Vikings third 3-pointer of the game to make the score 17-7 with 14:33 to play in the half.
 
Augustana pushed the pace in the first half and used the free throw line to its advantage. Huisken provided a big spark for the Vikings in the first half, putting up 15 points while hitting 4 of 4 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free throw line, helping Augustana build a large lead early in the contest.
 
The Vikings also out-worked the Warriors on the glass, out-rebounding Winona State 25-10. Augustana grabbed eight offensive boards, leading to 11 second-chance points.
 
Huisken scored nine points during a 13-3 run that allowed the Vikings to build its largest lead of the half at 34-16 with 6:27 remaining in the first frame. Winona State made an 11-3 run during a stretch of just under three minutes to cut Augustana's lead to 10 at 39-29 after a 3-pointer by Corey Jeffs with 2:27 left in the half.
 
The Vikings closed-out the half on a 9-2 run to take a 17-point lead of 48-31 into the locker room. Augustana shot 46.9 percent (15 of 32) from the field, hitting 5 of 15 from behind the arc. The Vikings knocked down 13 of 14 free throws in the first 20 minutes.
 
Riley Bambanek led Winona State with 14 first-half points. The Warriors shot 35.5 percent (11 of 31) from the field, including 5 of 14 from behind the arc.
 
Busack opened the scoring in the second half with his fourth 3-pointer of the night and the Vikings hit 6 of 10 from the field early in the half to build a 22-point lead. Spencer hit the fourth 3-pointer of the second half to put Augustana up 66-44 with 13:43 remaining in the game.
 
Winona State got within 14 with 3:34 to play but Warren knocked down his second 3-pointer of the night to stretch Augustana's lead back up to 17. The Vikings cruised to their 20th win of the season and will close-out the regular season on Saturday.
 
Augustana will host Upper Iowa on Senior Night on Saturday sitting one full game back in the NSIC South Division standings. The Vikings and Peacocks will tip-off at 6 p.m. at the Sioux Falls Arena.