Box Score CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota, Crookston led the Augustana College Vikings in the first half but were unable to come up on the winning side of things as they fell in a narrow battle with the Vikings 70-64 Saturday night at Lysaker Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles remain winless even though they look to be on the cusp of a breakthrough. UMC is now 3-10 (0-9 NSIC) while Augustana improves to 10-3 (6-3 NSIC).
 
UMC put together a strong shooting night as they went 25-of-54 for 46.3 percent from the field. In addition, the Golden Eagles were on fire from downtown as they connected on 10-of-26 treys for 38.5 percent. UMC came into Saturday struggling from the three as they came into the game shooting only 29.9 percent.
 
A trio of players paced the Golden Eagles led by 18 points apiece from Brandon Burns (Fr., F, Baton Rouge, La.) and Almir Krdzalic (Sr., G, Sioux Falls, S.D.). Burns, the team's leading scorer on the season, gets back on track after scoring only two points in the previous two games against Northern State University and Wayne State College (Neb.). Burns was 6-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from three. Krdzalic's 18 points are the most the senior floor general has scored this season. Krdzalic was 7-of-12 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Justin Rake (Sr., G, Petal, Miss.) tallied 17 points to round out UMC's double-figure scoring. Rake connected on 3-of-7 threes.
 
The Golden Eagles narrowly out-rebounded the Vikings 31-30. James Sparkman (R-Jr., F, Yspilanti, Mich.) paced UMC with seven rebounds while Abdou Niang (Sr., F, Dakar, Senegal) and Burns each added four.
 
A key component of Saturday's game was the difference in free-throw shooting. UMC did not attempt a free throw until late in the second half and went 4-of-5 while Augustana had 22 attempts from the charity stripe connecting on 17.
The Vikings finished the game shooting 24-of-53 for 45.3 percent and 5-of-16 from three for 31.3 percent. Augustana had four players score double figures led by senior guard Cameron McCaffrey's 19 points. Alex Richter added 17 points while freshman posts Daniel Jansen and Zach Huisken each added 10.
 
The Vikings started the game on a 7-0 run but UMC quickly responded led by the play of Rake and Burns to take an 11-9 lead at the 14:15 mark. The Golden Eagles would get up by as many as five (17-13) at the 10:45 mark following a Derrick Redd (R-Fr., G, Menifee, Calif.) lay-up. Augustana would then make an 8-2 run to take the lead back 21-19 with 9:01 remaining. UMC would get the lead back, which would prove to be the last time in the game, at the 6:48 mark (24-23) following a Sparkman jumper. The Vikings would go on a run to end the half with a 39-32 edge following a last second jumper by Richter as the two teams went into their respective locker rooms.
 
Augustana came out and dominated the first few minutes of the second half as they would extend their seven-point edge to a 15-point lead (50-35) at the 15:57 mark following an 11-3 run ignited by the play of McCaffrey. UMC would then mount a comeback to get the deficit to as low as seven (57-50) after a Burns trey at the 10:35 mark. The Vikings would get their lead back out to nine before UMC would again cut into the advantage getting their deficit to five (59-55) after Ashton Harrell (Jr., G, Houston, Texas) converted a lay-up with 6:31 remaining. A Richter three and lay-up would put the Vikings back up 10 but the Golden Eagles wouldn't go away as they would get Augustana's lead down to five again (65-60) after a Rake trey.
 
The Golden Eagles would make one last push in the final seconds getting the lead down to four after two free-throw shots from Krdazlic but Huisken hit one-of-two from the line, as did McCaffrey, to send Augustana to the 70-64 win.
 
UMC will return to the Lysaker Gymnasium court at 8 p.m. Tues., Jan. 15 against Bemidji State University.
For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics Web site at www.goldeneaglesports.com.

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The University of Minnesota, Crookston is an NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).