Augustana withstood a Maverick rally in the second half and outscored UNO 11-2 over the final 2:39 to claim a 77-72 North Central Conference victory at Lee & Helene Sapp Fieldhouse Saturday night.
The loss drops UNO to 13-12 and 2-5, while the Vikings improved to 10-13 and 3-5.
The Vikings built a 50-41 lead six minutes into the second half, using a 14-5 run that started with an Nick Olson layup and ended with a three-point play by him. UNO turned the tide as
Jamaal Byers hit two shots and
Grant Nieland followed with a pair of three-pointers to start a 25-10 run. That produced a 66-61 Maverick lead with 6:42 to play as
Calvin Kapels hit two free throws.
UNO still held a 70-66 lead with 3:10 to go on two more from the line by Kapels. The Vikings started their comeback with a three-pointer by Olson with 2:39 left, then took the lead on a Marques Blank layup with 1:18 to play and a minute later expanded the margin to 73-70 on a layup by Mike Klepatz.
Kenny Hartzell then converted two shots from the line with nine seconds left to secure the win, which gives the two teams a split in the regular season series.
There were nine ties and five lead changes the first half before the Vikings' Olson hit a three at the buzzer for a 34-29 Augustana lead at the break.
Nieland and
Ryan Curtis each scored 13 points and Kapels added 11 to go with a game-high 13 rebounds to lead UNO. Kapels also handed out six assists and played 37 minutes.
Joey Ryan's 18 points led the Vikings, while Klepatz added 13 and Olson 11 plus 12 rebounds.
UNO now hits the road for three straight games, with the first test next Thursday at St. Cloud State.
