Box Score SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A night after earning its first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victory of the season, MSU saw its conference record fall to 1-1 as the Mavericks fell, 69-51 on the road against Augustana College.
 
The Mavericks were unable to find their offense in the first half as they hit just 5-of-21 (23.8 FG%) from the floor.  Fortunately for MSU, the Vikings offense struggled in the first half as well making just 9-of-33 (27.3 FG%) from the floor.
 
MSU was led by sophomore guard Travis Meinders in the first half who scored five points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field.  The Mavericks also committed six turnovers while getting outrebounded, 25-17.
 
Augustana came out with the momentum in the second half, jumping out to a 35-23 lead at the 15:35 mark.  From this point, MSU was unable to mount any type of comeback as the Viking offense started to hit its shots.
 
The second half saw an increase in scoring as MSU was outscored, 45-35.  The Vikings shot much better after the break, connecting on 15-of-28 (53.6 FG%) second-half field goals compared to 10-of-28 (35.7 FG%) from the Mavericks.
 
Sophomore guard Jimmy Whitehead led the Mavericks with 13 points including a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.  Sophomore forward #Connor O’Brien and Meinders led MSU with seven rebounds apiece while freshman forward TJ Okafor# led the Mavericks with four blocks.
 
The Mavericks committed 11 turnovers compared to just six by Augustana while also shooting just 30.6 percent from the field compared to 39.3 percent by the Vikings.
 
Augustana was paced by three players in double-figures including Cameron McCaffrey and Cody Schilling who each added 19 points.  Leif Nomeland was the third Viking in double-digits as he contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds.  The win improves Augustana to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in NSIC action.
 
Minnesota State (2-4, 1-1 NSIC) returns to action Friday, Dec. 9 when it hosts the Concordia University Golden Bears.  Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m., at the Taylor Center.