Box Score SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The University of Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team was on fire from beyond the arc Saturday night but ultimately fell short of Augustana College (S.D.) 79-61. The Golden Eagles hit nine threes on the night for 52.9 percent but had 15 turnovers compared to just five for the Vikings as they dropped their eighth straight. Minnesota Crookston falls to 4-10 (1-9 NSIC) while Augustana improves to 10-4 (7-3 NSIC).

The Golden Eagles finished the game shooting 20-of-47 for 42.6 percent while hitting 8-of-17 of their threes  and 12-of-15 of their free throws. Tyler West, Jr. (Jr., F, Portland, Ore./Communications) led the team with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting and added six boards. Tim Lubke (Jr., G, St. Paul, Minn./Sports and Rec Management) would connect on four threes for 12 points while Derrick Redd (So., G, Menifee, Calif./Sports and Rec Management) added eight points. Kevin Larson (Jr., G, New Ulm, Minn.) finished with a solid stat line of seven points, five boards and four assists while Sam Howell (Jr., G, Seattle, Wash./Sports and Rec Management) came off the bench for seven points.

Augustana was led by 19 points on 5-of-12 shooting from sophomore Daniel Jansen. Casey Schilling added 18 points and eight boards while Devin Gilligan came off the bench for 12. The Vikings shot 27-of-59 from the field for 45.8 percent and were 7-of-22 from three for 31.8 percent. Augustana was 18-of-22 for 81.8 percent from the foul line

The first half was all about the long ball for the Golden Eagles as 6-of-11 of their made shots were from long distance in the opening period. UMC would get out to an early 6-3 advantage after a Brandon Burns (Sr., F, Baton Rouge, La./Sports and Rec Management) trey. The Vikings would strike though as they went on a 7-0 run to get out to a 10-6 lead with 15:36 left in the first half.

Augustana and Minnesota Crookston would then go back-and-forth for the next five minutes until Augustana finally broke things loose for a while, going on a 10-0 run led by five points apiece from Schilling and Jansen to get UMC up by nine (28-19) with 8:03 left in the first half. Augie would extend their lead to 13 before UMC would begin to chip into the Viking advantage.

A lay-in from Ibrahim Cisse (Fr., F, Plymouth, Minn./Health Science) and jumpers from Larson and Redd would cut the Augustana lead to five (37-32) with 1:48 left in the half.

However, Augustana would use a jumper from Yuriy Malashenko and a lay-in from Schilling to go into the locker room up nine (41-32) on the Golden Eagles.

Minnesota Crookston went 11-of-24 from the field for 45.8 percent, including connecting on 6-of-8 threes for 78 percent. The Golden Eagles had a very balanced effort in the first half led by a unlikely scorer in Howell, who is starting to come on in his first season with UMC. Burns and Lubke each added six points on two three-pointers while Larson had five.

Augustana was led by 13 points from Schilling and 10 from Jansen. They were 15-of-30 for 50 percent from the field and 4-of-13 from downtown for 30.8 percent. The Vikings were also clutch from the line, connecting on 7-of-8 shots for 78.5 percent. Gilligan added eight off the bench for Augustana.

The Vikings would come out and control the early going of the second half, getting up by as many as 23 following a Gilligan lay-in with 9:22 remaining in the half. From there though the Golden Eagles would cut into Augustana's lead. A 6-0 run stamped by a dunk from Redd would make it a 17-point deficit (65-48) with 7:24 left. UMC would get it down even further, cutting the lead to 13 with 3:49 left after a West trey. However that would be as close as the Golden Eagles would get as Augustana was too much down the stretch.

Minnesota Crookston will return home next weekend for games against Northern State University and Minnesota State University Moorhead at Lysaker Gymnasium.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website 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).