WINONA, Minn. – The Augustana men's basketball team fell just short Friday night in a 74-69 loss at Winona State. The Vikings fall to 11-12 on the season and are 7-10 in NSIC action. Winona State matches AU with the 7-10 record while sitting 12-10 overall.
 
Isaac Fink played a season-high 37 minutes in the contest while scoring 20 points to lead the Vikings while Jadan Graves poured in 18. Akoi Akoi was the final Viking in double figures with 14 points while securing a team-best nine rebounds.
 
The contest was a back-and-forth affair in the opening half beginning with a stretch run by each team. First, it was a 9-0 lead for Augustana followed by a 10-0 run by Winona State.
 
With the score tied at 20-all with 8:07 to go in the opening half, Augustana burst on a 6-0 run with a pair of jumpers from Graves and a jumper from Fink. That led into the Vikings holding a 34-28 halftime advantage.
 
Much like the first half, the second half was identical in a back-and-forth game. However, it was a spurt with 1:53 remaining that Winona State used to create separation from a 67-65 score to push to the final five point advantage.
 
Augustana fought back from 71-65 to trail by just two points at 71-69 thanks to a pair of free throws from Graves and a layup by Akoi. Forced to foul, Winona State made its free throws for the final score of 74-69.
 
The Vikings make their final trip to Fayette, Iowa, Saturday to face Upper Iowa at 3:30 p.m.