SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – South Division No. 1 seed Southwest Minnesota State (25-5) erased a 10-point deficit with three minutes left in regulation to force overtime and held on for a 97-89 double overtime victory over South Division No. 3 seed Augustana University men's basketball (23-8) in the semifinal of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament on Monday night.
 
Mike Busack hit a pair of free throws to put Augustana up 70-60 with 2:52 left in regulation before SMSU scored eight straight points, including a pair of deep contested 3-pointers to get within two at 70-68 just a minute later.
 
Adam Beyer put the Vikings back in front by four after a great dish from John Warren but the Mustangs scored two straight, tying the game with 24 seconds left at 72, where it would stand heading into the first overtime. Beyer got off a contested jumper from the right wing but it bounced off the rim as the time ran out on both teams.
 
The Mustangs raced out to a five-point lead in the first overtime session but the Vikings answered with a 9-2 run, including a 3-pointer by Warren with 10 seconds left helping Augustana regain the lead at 83-81. SMSU's Joey Bartlett cleaned up a miss and the putback tied the game at 83, sending it to a second overtime session.
 
The Mustangs scored eight of the first nine points in the second overtime and held on for the 97-89 win over the Vikings.
 
Mike Busack led Augustana with 26 points and nine rebounds. Busack was 8 of 17 from the field and hit 9 of 10 from the free throw line. John Warren added 18 points on three steals while hitting six of nine 3-pointers.
 
Adam Beyer pitched in with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists while Spencer recorded his sixth career double-double. Spencer recorded 12 points, 10 assists and five rebounds and became Augustana's all-time leader in assist. He has dished out 677 assists which puts him No. 1 all-time at Augustana, passing Pat Freidel who dished out 674 from 1985-89.
 
Augustana shot 45.7 percent (32 of 70) from the field, including 37.9 percent from 3-point range. The Vikings were 6 of 11 (54.5 percent) from behind the arc in the first half before going 3 of 10 in the second.
 
SMSU out-rebounded Augustana 44-37, grabbing 13 offensive boards, leading to 12 second-chance points. The Mustangs were led by Ryan Bruggeman's 26 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
 
John Warren started out the game hot for the Vikings, hitting 3 of 3 from behind the arc in the first four minutes of the game to help Augustana build a 12-7 lead. SMSU went on a 12-2 run over the next 5:36 to take its first lead of the game, building it up to five at 19-14 near the midway point of the first half.
 
Beyer ended a nearly three minute scoring drought for the Vikings working his way to the basket for a layup and Steven Schaefer followed with his first 3-pointer of the game from the left corner to tie the game at 19 with 7:46 left in the half.
 
Busack helped the Vikings regain the lead with a pair of free throws and a basket but Augustana turned the ball over on its next three possessions allowing SMSU to score seven straight points and take a 28-23 lead heading into the under 5-minute timeout.
 
The Mustangs stretched their lead to eight twice in the final four minutes of the half before the Vikings closed within two after back-to-back 3-pointers by Spencer and Busack to make the score 35-33.
 
SMSU took a 37-33 lead into the locker room at the half. The Mustangs shot 60.7 percent from the field and got eight points from three different players. SMSU scored 15 points off of 10 Augustana turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
 
After a slow start to the half from the field, Augustana finished shooting 50 percent (12 of 24) from the field, including 6 of 12 from 3-point range. Warren and Busack led the Vikings with nine points in the first 20 minutes.
 
Neither team could get into a rhythm to start the second half with eight fouls being called in the first four minutes. Augustana cut SMSU's lead to two twice in the first four minutes of the half but a 7-2 swing by the Mustangs helped them take a 48-41 lead with just under 15 minutes to play.
 
The Vikings responded by scoring seven straight and Warren tied the game for the seventh time on the night with his fourth 3-pointer, knotting the score at 48. Augustana kept the momentum rolling from there, scoring 20 of the game's next 30 points to build a 10-point lead with 3:12 to play. SMSU closed-out regulation with a 12-2 run to send the game into overtime.
 
Augustana will now await the NCAA Selection Show to learn if it earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Central Region Tournament. The Vikings were ranked sixth in the last NCAA Central Region poll. The NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Selection Show will be aired live at NCAA.com on Sunday, March 5 at 9:30 p.m. (CT).