SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- On December 3, 2003, an 18-point win over Minnesota Crookston gave Tom Billeter his first career win at Augustana. Fast forward 16 years and 472 games, and the Viking head coach has won 300 games on the Augustana sideline. 

Tied at 41 at halftime, the Vikings used a strong second-half performance on both ends of the court for a 78-70 win over Concordia-St. Paul, With the win, the Vikings move to 13-6 (9-4 NSIC South), and Concordia-St. Paul drops to 8-11 (3-10 NSIC South). 

Augustana, who is now in a tie for first place in the south division, shut down the Golden Bears in the second half, limiting them to just 29 points and 35 percent shooting. The Vikings offense saw four players hit double-figures, led by A.J. Plitzuweit who collected 18 points and 3 assists. Jameson Bryan finished with 16 and a game-high 5 helpers, and Matt Cartwright (14 points) and Michael Schaefer (12 points) also reached double-digits. Overall, the Vikings stayed true to their ALL IN philosophy, with all nine players registering points.

Coach Billeter is thankful to all his former players who helped him hit the 300-win milestone at Augustana. "You go back and think of all the guys who contributed and started a foundation for this program," Billeter said. "I'm thankful to have a great administration and coaching staff as well."



Saturday's game came down to the  final minutes of the second half. With the Vikings leading 65-64 at the 2:41 mark, Jameson Bryan knocked down a pull-up jumper and then A.J. Plitzuweit got to the rack and scored on a tough layup plus a foul. The Vikings pushed their lead to 70-64 and used clutch free throws to put the game on ice. 

Augustana shot 47 percent (29-65) overall, compared to 41 percent (26-63) for CSP. The Vikings registered 16 assists to just 6 turnovers, and also got a game-high 13 second-chance points in the win. 

Concordia-St. Paul started strong pushed their early lead to 10-2, but the Vikings climbed back into the contest. Dylan LeBrun  scored inside, and then a pair of Schaefer free throws made a 12-6 game at the 15:10 mark of the first. 

The Vikings started just 2-8 from the field but found a spark coming off a timeout. Matt Cartwright knocked down a left-wing three, Bodey Behrends hit a pull-up jumper, and Jameson Bryan capped off a 12-4 run with a step-back triple. 

Trevor Hanson scored inside to tie the game up at 23-23, but CSP answered back with a 5-0 run. 

Moments later, Bryan took over on a trio of possessions to give the Vikings their first lead of the night. He sliced up the defense for a pair of layups and then showed off the midrange game to stake the Vikings ahead, 33-31. 

With minutes left in the 1st half, Cartwright hit double-digits with a jumper, but Concordia responded with strong shooting from outside. By halftime, the game was tied up at 41-41.

Augustana closed the half by making 5-of-6 field goals, and in the first 20 minutes, the Vikings shot 52 percent (17-of-33). Bryan led all players with 12 points, and Cartwright and Schaefer had eight points each. The Golden Bears shot 48 percent (15-of-32) in the 1st half. 

The second half started with both teams trading buckets, but A.J. Plitzuweit gave the Vikings the lead with a baseline three-pointer. 

The Vikings got stops on the defensive end and continued to knock down shots, pushing their lead to 51-43, which was their biggest of the night. 

Concordia-St. Paul stuck around though. Isaiah McKay got the hoop and scored, marking a 6-0 run for the Vikings. Augustana answered and maintained a 58-54 lead at the 7:46 mark. 

Cartwright continued to score from all around the court, working his way to a game-high 14 points. Schaefer pushed the Vikings lead to 65-62, but McKay answered with a jumper to make it a one-point game. 

However, Plitzuweit came alive in the second half, finishing the game with 18 points. The freshman was also clutch from the free throw line, hitting all seven of his attempts. Augustana was able to outlast the visiting Golden Bears for the win. 

The Vikings now have a quick turnaround as they'll take on Minnesota State on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at the Sioux Falls Arena.