Augie MenBB: Heartbreaker in Wayne

FINAL: WAYNE ST. 64, AUGUSTANA 63

It was over when: A shot by Cameron McCaffrey about 12 feet in the lane came off the back iron and the Vikings couldn't convert a tip before the final horn and Vikings drop this Northern Sun game as they had a three point lead with :13 seconds left in the contest. Wayne State's Ty Bauschek hit a layup with 6.7 seconds left for the game-winner.

Leading scorers: Tony Wright scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Cats while McCaffrey led the Vikings with 19.

Tight throughout the game: A game that featured 14 tie scores also did not have a team hold a lead larger than five points after the 14:45 mark in the first half.  Adol Aloung, from Sioux Falls Roosevelt, hit a three giving Wayne State a brief two-point lead, 56-54, with just under six minutes that proved to be their last until the game-clinching layup.

A sloppy start from both teams: Featured a combined 4-15 shooting and nine turnovers through nearly eight minutes of game time for both teams.  Wayne State opened on a 7-0 run before the Vikings countered with a 9-0 run of their own led by Alex Richter's six points.

Augustana coach Tom Billeter on how hard his team played: "The effort was fantastic, we played very hard. Execution, especially in the first half was mediocre at best. You watch that first five minutes you are thinking you are going to lose by 100. We couldn't pass it, we couldn't catch it. I told the team if they keep playing hard I will get them smarter. We will be ok."

Vikings are hurting: 6-9 Fr. Zach Huisken went down with an ankle injury in the second half on a team already shorthanded two starters with Casey Schilling and Brennan Olson on the shelf. Olson got news earlier Tuesday he will have surgery.

Records: Augustana 10-4 (6-4), Wayne St. 11-5 (5-5)

So with only six home games left, the Vikings return home for a pair of games with U-Mary and Minot State beginning with the Marauders at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18.