MANKATO, Minn. -- Trailing by double-digits at halftime, the Augustana men's basketball team dropped 74 points in the second half and overtime for a 97-90 double-OT win over Minnesota State. Augustana, who secured their thirteenth straight winning season, moves to 15-10 (11-8 NSIC South) and MSU drops to 16-9 (12-7 NSIC South).

The story of Friday's tilt at the Taylor Center was the tenacious comeback by the Viking men. Down 38-23 at the intermission, Augustana shot 53 percent and scored 49 points in the second half to force the game into OT. After each team scored 10 in the first extra session, Augustana outscored MSU 17-10 in the second OT to secure the win.

The Vikings, who played in their first OT game of the year, end the night with a season-high 97 points and 53 rebounds. The Vikings finished +17 on the glass in the second half and OT. 

All five Viking starters had career games, starting with Trevor Hanson. After a quiet first half, the freshman went on to record his first-career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Michael Schaefer continued his last-season tear with 25 points and 11 rebounds. A.J. Plitzuweit scored inside-and-out for 25 on the night, and Matt Cartwright (17 points, 6 rebounds) and Dylan LeBrun (8 points, 11 rebounds) also made big-time contributions. 

Tyler Riemersma came back from injury to pick up six rebounds, and Jameson Bryan scored all five of his points in the second half during the Vikings run. Overall, Augustana shot 44.9 percent on 35-of-78 shooting. 

Augustana head coach Tom Billeter, who now sits at 399 career wins, is proud of his program's effort and focus in the second half tonight. 

"I thought in the second half our guys came out and played hard. They played with passion, they cared, and they represented our program and community with pride," Billeter said. "Tonight was just a heck of a college basketball game."

Although the Mavericks started the game on a 7-0 run, Augustana bounced back as Dylan LeBrun got to the rack and scored off the glass. The Vikings started to find their footing over the next four minutes, going 4-of-5 from the field, including a pair of buckets from Michael Schaefer. 

A.J. Plitzuweit connected on a nice step back, and at the 9:41 mark of the 1st, the Vikings cut the deficit to 20-12. However, the Mavericks Carlos Anderson worked his way to 13 quick points and by the 5:00 mark of the first half, the Mavericks had built a 35-19 lead. 

By the first half buzzer, Minnesota State opened up a 38-24 lead. Augustana was led by Plitzuweit with 10 points and Schaefer with six. Overall, Augustana shot 9-of-29 (31 percent) from the field. Minnesota State finished the first half 14-of-35 (40 percent) and +15 on the glass. 

Looking for another second-half comeback, Augustana came out of the locker room with a strong start as Schaefer scored plus a foul. Hanson followed with a pair of free throws and following a Cartwright jumper, and it was a 9-2 start for the Vikings. 

Now trailing 40-32 at the 17:16 mark, Augustana capped off a 17-7 run with another Hanson jumper. Still down 49-44, the Vikings continued to get stops on the defensive end. The Mavericks were just 1-of-12 from downtown in the second, allowing Augustana to get back into the game. 

Jameson Bryan registered five quick points, and following a Cartwright triple, it was a 62-59 game with 4:44 to go. The Mavericks answered, but Michael Schaefer scored five straight and then a Cartwright jumper gave the Vikings a 65-64 lead.

Tied at 70 with 00:35 to play in regulation, the Mavericks Carlos Anderson scored in the paint for two-point Maverick lead. A.J. Plitzuweit then hit a pair of free throws to send the game to overtime. 

The first OT saw Cameron Kirksey open the scoring with a triple, but Matt Cartwright answered to tie the game up at 75-75. Both teams traded buckets in the final minutes of the first overtime, but neither side could find the game-winning shot.

Augustana got off to a perfect start in the second overtime, as Schaefer, Hanson, and Plitzuweit started a 6-0 run for the Vikings. From there, Hanson climbed the ladder for a pair of exclamation-point dunks to put the game on ice. 

Augustana returns the court Saturday afternoon in St. Paul, Minnesota as the Vikings will take on Concordia-St. Paul at 5:30 p.m.