WAYNE, Neb. - Caden Hinker and Tameron Ferguson each recorded a double-double to help lead the Vikings to a 94-86 win at Wayne State to open the NSIC schedule in Rice Auditorium.

The Vikings (2-3 overall, 1-0 NSIC) shot 57.1 percent from the field while going 11 of 21 from deep while leading wire-to-wire. AU dominated inside, outscoring the Wildcats (3-2, 0-1) 48-28 in the paint and turned 12 WSC turnovers into 16 points while limiting the Wildcats to eight points off nine Viking turnovers. 

Hinker scored 22 points on 7 of 13 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds to close his fourth consecutive double-double. Ferguson scored 20 points and dished a career-high 11 assists for the first double-double of his career. 

Six Vikings scored in double figures, including Tanner Te Slaa, who knocked down four 3-pointers and scored 15 points on 5 of 9 from the field. Conner Kraft added 12 points while knocking down all three 3-pointers he attempted. Bennett Fried and Sam Rensch each scored 10 points and recorded a pair of steals. 

Ferguson scored seven of the first nine AU points in the first three minutes of action to take a 9-2 lead. The Wildcats clawed back to get within 11-9 before a Hinker 3-pointer ended the run and put the Vikings ahead by five points at the 15:30 mark. 

That lead stuck at five points until Amari Westmoreland-Vendiola and Te Slaa knocked down 3-pointers made it 27-16 AU with 11:04 left in the half. WSC cut that deficit to six twice, the first one canceled by a Te Slaa 3-pointer and Kraft knocking down a 3-pointer of his own to keep the lead at nine. A Hinker layup at the 7:54 mark extended the AU lead to 35-24. 

A Wildcat free throw ended the mini-run before another Te Slaa triple gave the Vikings their largest lead of the half at 38-25. Kraft battled WSC answers a dunk and 3-pointer to keep AU in front 43-31 with 2:58 to go. 

Three Hinker free throws and a Ferguson jumper on the final possession rounded out the first-half scoring while the Wildcats knocked down a jumper at the buzzer to cut their deficit to 48-38 at the break. 

Hinker and Ferguson had 12 points apiece at the break as Hinker added eight rebounds and Ferguson had six assists. The Vikings knocked down 9 of 15 from 3-point range and shot 58.1 percent from the field to grow the halftime lead. 

The Wildcats scored the first four points of the half before four Rensch points evened the scoring. The teams spent the next eight minutes trading baskets before two Ferguson layups and a steal and slam from Rensch put the Vikings in front 70-56 with 9:39 to go and forced a Wildcat timeout.

Te Slaa closed the run converting an and-one out of the timeout to put the Vikings ahead by 17. The teams went back and forth from there until a WSC 3-pointer and timeout that cut the AU lead to 78-63 with 7:33 to go. 

Kraft knocked down a 3-pointer and Hinker sunk a free throw to make it 82-63. The Wildcats surged back to get within 10 after a 9-0 run off three 3-pointers made it 82-72 with 5:02 to go. The teams traded twos for the next three minutes as the Vikings built a lead back to 90-78 with 1:58 remaining. 

WSC was able to get within eight, but the comeback would fall plenty short as the Vikings opened NSIC play with a victory. 

The Vikings open their home slate on Saturday at 1 p.m., hosting Randall University in the Elmen Center.