WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Augustana men's basketball team withstood a late charge from Central Missouri to win 76-72 Sunday night in Warrensburg, Missouri. The Vikings, who opened their season with a pair of games at the Opening Weekend Conference Challenge, improve to 2-0 on the young season. Central Missouri falls to 0-2.
 
Sophomore Michael Schaefer tallied 18 points for the Vikings while junior Matt Cartwright added 17, including 10 in the second half. Junior Jameson Bryan and sophomore Dylan LeBrun also totaled double-digit points at 11 and 10 points, respectively.
 
"Central Missouri is a very good basketball team and they are very difficult to beat here," head coach Tom Billeter said. "Their pressure bothered us at times but we also attacked it at times. I am really proud of how we played."
 
The Vikings looked to be in control early, building a lead by as many as 15 points in the first half. The lead was built by a 12-0 run spanning 1:37 of game clock as LeBrun started and ended the run, totaling eight of the 12 points, pushing the Vikings to a 24-9 lead. The run ended on an alley-oop from Schaefer to LeBrun on the fast break.
 
The game stabilized with the two squads exchanging baskets the remaining of the half with Augustana entering intermission leading 43-30.
 
After freshman Isaac Fink sank a 3-point basket with 16:57 remaining in the game, Central Missouri began to chip away at the 16-point lead Augustana had built. The lead shrunk to two points with 8:08 remaining but Augustana saw sophomore Matt Todd sink a jump shot to slow the Mules down.
 
After forcing Central Missouri into a turnover on the ensuing possession, Schaefer found Cartwright open for a 3-point basket to boost the lead back to seven points at 65-58.
 
Central Missouri again whittled the lead within a possession at three points, but the Vikings again suppressed the Mule attack and kept the cushion between five and eight points the rest of the way until Joshua Greer hit a 3-point basket with the clock expiring, closing the final score at 76-72.
 
Augustana is the first team in the NSIC to gather two wins this year and is one of three teams to make it through the opening weekend unscathed.
 
The Vikings held the rebound margin at 37-30 and were led in the category by Tyler Riemersma for the second-straight game. The junior grabbed eight rebounds before fouling out at just under 20 minutes of action to go along with six points, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Lebrun gathered a game-high three steals.
 
Central Missouri saw Gaven Pinkley tally a game-high 21 points as the Mules held just one lead in the game at 2-0. The Vikings handed the Mules just their fourth loss in their last 82 games played at home in nonconference action.
 
The Vikings continue their four-game road trip to start the season at the East/West Challenge in Spearfish, South Dakota, on Friday and Saturday. Augustana faces host Black Hills State at 8:30 p.m. Friday and South Dakota Mines on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.