SIOUX FALLS – Eight Vikings scored, five of them in double figures, and John Warren posted his first-career double-double, as the Augustana men pulled away in the second half for an 86-69 win over Upper Iowa on Friday night at the Sioux Falls Arena.
 
The win boosts the Vikings to 12-7 on the season overall, and to 7-6 in the Northern Sun, while the Peacocks fall to 10-12 overall and to 3-10 in the conference.
 
Neither team gained much of a footing for the majority of the first half, which saw six lead changes and a pair of ties, until Augustana used a 7-0 spurt to build a 31-23 lead, which drew a timeout from the Upper Iowa bench with 6 minutes, 40 seconds left in the opening half.
 
The Peacocks answered with seven straight to cut lead to one, but the Vikings scored the next five points for some cushion, before taking a 41-37 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
The Vikings quickly built their lead back to eight points to start the second half at 47-39, but the Peacocks answered with an 11-0 run to take a 50-47 lead, their first lead since the 9:15 mark of the first half.
 
A Jordan Spencer jumper snapped the run, and a Warren triple put the Vikings back in front 52-50 with 14 minutes on the clock, and even though the Peacocks came back to tie the game two more times, they never regained a lead, as the Vikings pulled away down the stretch to secure the win.
 
Spencer led a balanced Vikings attack with 16 points, adding eight assists and six rebounds. Marcus Asmus pitched in with 14 points and eight rebounds, while both Warren and Adam Dykman finished with 12 points, with Warren also notching career-highs with four blocks and 10 rebounds to complete the game's only double-double. Jameson Bryan rounded out the Vikings double figure scorers with 10 points.
 
Dennis Austin III scored a game-high 18 points for the Peacocks, with Carson Parking adding 12, Quentin Blaue 11 and Joe Smoldt 10 points in the loss. 
 
The Vikings look to complete the weekend sweep on Saturday, when they host Winona State in the Sioux Falls Arena at 6 p.m. 
 
NOTES: Saturday's game marked the 2,187th game in program history … Augustana leads the all-time series with Upper Iowa, 17-6, with a 9-2 advantage at home … the Vikings led at some point in all 19 games this season, and used the same five starters in all 19 games … at least five Vikings scored in double figures for the second time this season (vs. Doane, Nov. 22, 2017) … the win gives Augustana head coach Tom Billeter 380 career wins, 283 of them at Augustana