Yellowjackets Fall in Final Minute to Augustana, 81-79

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BILLINGS, Mont. – An inside layup by Lee Stephens with six seconds left lifted Augustana College to a thrilling 81-79 victory over Montana State Billings Saturday afternoon at Alterowitz Gymnasium.  The Yellowjackets were led by 22 points from Mario Burns, while Eric Krogman paced the Vikings with a game-high 29 points.

MSUB regained the lead with 33 seconds left as Derrick Wright scored two free throws for a 77-76 lead.  Out of a timeout by Augustana, Big Timber, Mont., native, David Foster hit a 3-pointer to give AC a 79-77 lead with 20 seconds left.  Burns tied the game with a layup giving AC 9.3 seconds left.  Out of a second timeout, Lee Stephens scored inside for an 81-79 score.

The Yellowjackets had one last chance, but Michael Hall was unable to get a shot off as the Yellowjackets fell to 3-6 on the year, while Augustana improved to 8-2.

For the game, the Yellowjackets had four players in double figures as Derrick Wright had 21 points and Travis Bunker recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds.  As a team, the Yellowjackets shot 46 percent from the field on 25 of 54 and were 5 of 14 from deep.  MSUB was a season-best 24 of 27 from the line.

The Vikings were led by Krogman’s 29 points as he was 7 of 11 from the field and 13 of 14 from the free throw line.  Stephens chipped in 27 and Cody Schilling had 17.  Foster had five points to round out the scoring for Augustana.

As a team, the Vikings shot 52 percent on 27 of 52 from the field.  They were 7 of 29 from downtown and 20 of 22 from the line.  AC won the rebounding battle, 31-28 and both teams committed 15 turnovers.

A good defensive rebound and layup by Burns tied the game at eight as it was the first Yellowjacket field goal of the game with just over 16 minutes left in the first half.  MSUB began the game 6 for 6 from the charity stripe. 

The Yellowjackets extended the lead to 15-8 on the shoulders of Mario Burns who scored on a hoop-and-harm foul and had a coast-to-coast layup before Augustana called a timeout to stop the bleeding.  MSUB went on an 11-0 run to build a 17-8 lead with 13:39 left.  Two free throws by AC’s Lee Stephens ended the drought as the Vikings had not made a field goal since the 16:52 mark.

Stephens’ field goal at 12:19 ended a drought for Augustana of over four minutes without a field goal, cutting the Yellowjacket lead to 17-12.

A 3-pointer, the first of the game for Augustana, started a mini run that cut a nine point Yellowjacket lead to four with 9:32 left.

Out of a Yellowjacket timeout, Derrick Wright put up a shot from just outside the key to build the lead back to six, 25-19.  An old fashion three point play by Travis Bunker pushed the lead back to nine at 28-19 with just over eight minutes left in the half. 

A 3-pointer by Cody Schilling and a steal and layup by Stephens took a six point Yellowjacket lead down to a one point advantage.  Schilling cleaned up the mess on the offensive end moments later giving the Vikings their first lead since the 18:56 mark at 31-30 with 5:28 left.  

Out of a full timeout by MSUB, Brett Taylor knocked down a long range shot as MSUB regained the lead, 33-31. 

Eric Krogman’s 3-pointer gave the lead back to Augustana at 38-37 with 90 seconds left in the half.  A rain-making 3-pointer by Krogman at the buzzer pushed the Viking lead to 41-37 at intermission. 

For the half, the Yellowjackets were led by 12 points from Burns.  He was 3 of 6 from the field and a perfect 6 of 6 from the line.  Stephens led the way for Augustana with 15 points, while Krogman chipped in 14, including the final six. 

As a team, the Yellowjackets shot 40 percent from the field on 10 of 25.  They were 2 of 6 from beyond the arc and a perfect 15 of 15 from the line.  AC countered shooting 46 percent from the field on 14 of 30 and was 4 of 12 from deep.  The Vikings were 9 of 10 from the line as well. 

AC held a 19-13 lead in rebounds, including 6-2 on the offensive end that led to an 11-2 advantage in second chance points.

The Yellowjackets did not score a field goal in the final 5:20 of the first half.

The Vikings began the second half scoring the first six points en route to a 10-point lead with 18:15 left.  Since the 5:28 mark in the first half, AC has outscored MSUB 16-9. A field goal by Wright out of a timeout by MSUB ended a seven minute drought for the Yellowjackets at 47-39.

Back-to-back buckets by Bunker, one being a trey, cut the Augustana lead to 51-48 with 13:51 left.  Moments later, back-to-back buckets by Burns tied the game at 52 with 11:57 left as the Yellowjackets erased a 10-point lead by Augustana. 

Schilling hit back-to-back long range shots to put the Vikings back in front 60-54 with 10 minutes left.  Bunker answered with a 3-pointer of his own for a 62-60 score with under eight minutes left in favor of Augustana.

A deep 3-pointer by Michael Hall gave MSUB its first lead of the second half with six minutes to play at 67-66.

Moments later, Foster, scored a layup for his first points of the game giving AC a 70-69 lead.  Foster became just the fifth player to score for the Vikings today. 

Two free throws by Krogman put AC back in front 72-71 with two minutes left.  The lead, however, was short lived as Wright made a nice move inside for a score.  A 3-pointer off a screen by Hall gave the Yellowjackets a 75-74 lead with 1:14 left.

The Yellowjackets now have a 10-day break before hosting Great Falls on Dec. 31 at 5:30 p.m.