WAYNE, Neb. -- Trailing by two points with less than four seconds left, Augustana sophomore Matt Cartwright buried a 26-foot buzzer-beating three-pointer for a 72-71 win over Wayne State on Sunday. The win not only pushed the Vikings win streak to six games, but also elevated Augustana into a tie for first place in the NSIC South. Augustana moves to 9-3 (5-1 NSIC South), and the Wildcats drop to 10-2 (5-1 NSIC South). 

Cartwright, who led all players with 22 points and 6 rebounds, felt the game-winning shot had a chance when it left his hands. "As soon as I shot it, I knew it was going in," Cartwright said. "We came out strong in the second half, made some shots, and I'm glad we got the win."



Augustana trailed by nine points at halftime but used a big second-half performance to drop 46 points in the final 20 minutes. Cartwright, who torched WSU for 20 points in the second half alone, helped the Vikings shoot 57.1% in the second. Augustana also finished 9-9 from the charity stripe in the second half and down the stretch. 

The Vikings also got impressive performances up and down their lineup, including three other players in double-figures. Dylan LeBrun finished with 14 points and 4 boards, Jameson Bryan had 13 points and a team-high four assists, and A.J. Plitzuweit chipped in 10 points and a pair of steals. 

Augustana head coach Tom Billeter was glad to get the win on the road in Wayne. "Really proud of our effort tonight against a very good Wayne State team," Billeter said. "I feel fortunate to have got the win tonight."



Augustana once again also finished with an advantage on the boards, out-rebounding Wayne State 36-31. The Vikings 12 offensive rebounds helped lead to a game-high, 11-second-chance points on the afternoon.

Although Wayne State took an early six-point lead, LeBrun started the Viking scoring with a lay-up inside. A three from Jameson Bryan made it a 10-8 game, but the Wildcats maintained their advantage early on.  

Trailing by seven late in the half, Trevor Hanson swatted a block on the defensive end then finished with a layup off the glass. After the first 20 minutes of action, Augustana trailed 35-26 at halftime. 

The Vikings started strong in the second half and made a statement in the opening minutes. Matt Cartwright opened the scoring with a jumper, and following a hoop from Trevor Hanson, Augustana had cut the lead to five points. Cartwright continued to work on the offensive end, scoring back-to-back buckets and sparking an 8-0 run.

Augustana completed the second-half comeback just a few minutes later. A.J. Plitzuweit kicked it out to LeBrun and the fellow freshman buried a three from the left wing. With 15:00 left in the game, Augustana not only took their first lead at 42-39 and had opened the second half on a 16-4 run.

Led by a bucket from Trevin Joseph, Wayne State responded with a 7-0 run to re-take the lead. The Vikings answered, but by the first media timeout of the half (11:52), WSU maintained a 48-45 advantage.

The story of the second half was the effort from the Vikings star sophomore. Cartwright continued to heat up, knocking down jumper after jumper to keep the Vikings in the game. A baseline jumper from the Sioux Falls native made a 55-53 game and gave Cartwright double-digits from the second-half alone. 

The Wildcats continued to answer, but Plitzuweit and the Vikings wouldn't be denied. The freshman stepped back and knocked down a straightaway three, and with three minutes left, the Viking took a 62-61 lead. 

With a minute to play, LeBrun swished home a triple to tie the game up 67-67. After each sided traded scores, Vance Janssen gave the Wildcats a 71-69 lead a right-handed layup. The Vikings, starting from their own baseline with 3.8 seconds left, traveled the length of the floor before finding Cartwright for the game-winner. 

Overall, the Vikings shot 49.1% (28-57), scored 22 points in the paint, and forced 12 turnovers which led to 14 points. Augustana limited Wayne state to 14-33 (42%) in the second half to complete the comeback win. 

Joseph Trevin finished with 21 points and 5 assists to lead Wayne State.

Augustana will now stay on the road for another pair of Northern Sun matchups. The Vikings visit Southwest Minnesota State on Friday, Jan. 4th, (7:30 p.m.)  and Sioux Falls on Saturday, Jan. 5th (6 p.m.).