Box Score

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Ryan Bruggeman scored a career-high 27 points on 10 of 16 shooting and also grabbed a career-high seven rebounds to lead No. 19/26 Southwest Minnesota State to a thrilling 78-76 victory over No. 16 Augustana at the Sioux Falls Arena on Friday night in NSIC men's basketball.
 
It was the first loss suffered for AU at the Sioux Falls Arena since moving to the building prior to the 2014-15 season, snapping a 32-game winning streak. It snapped an overall 38-game home winning streak for the Vikings.
 
SMSU's Michael Lee hit the biggest shot of the night, snapping a 72-72 tie with a 3-pointer from the left corner to give SMSU a 75-72 lead. It was the lone field goal for Lee on the night.
 
Mitch Weg scored 16 points on 8 of 11 shooting, while Taylor Schafer added 10 points for the Mustangs, who rallied from a 12-point second half deficit.
 
SMSU improves to 11-1 overall, 6-1 NSIC, while AU drops to 10-3 overall, 5-2 NSIC. SMSU is now 7-1 in games decided by four points or less.
 
SMSU closed the game shooting 54 percent (30 of 56) from the field, including 62 percent in the second half.
 
Weg also reached a milestone in the game, becoming the 21^st player in team history to score 1,000 career points, as he reached the mark with his second field goal of the night with 18:05 left in the opening half.
 
SMSU jumped to a 6-2 lead, but AU quickly responded with a 10-0 run and never trailed for the remainder of the half.
 
The Vikings built a pair of eight-point leads near the end of the first half before Bruggeman and Davis closed the half with field goals to cut the deficit to 33-29 at halftime.
 
SMSU shot 44 percent in the first half, but missed all nine attempts from 3-point range and also committed eight turnovers.
 
Bruggeman led the Mustangs with 12 points in the opening half.
 
The Vikings started the second half strong, using an 11-2 run, to take a 46-34 lead with 15:59 left in the game. AU connected on 7 of its first 9 shots to open the half.
 
Augustana maintained a 50-39 lead at the 13:22 mark, before SMSU slowed chipped into the lead. The Mustangs answered with a 13-4 run over the next two and a half minutes to cut the AU lead to 54-52.
 
AU would later build a trio of five-point leads later in the half, but a KJ Davis 3-pointer and a layup by Bruggeman gave SMSU the lead with 4:46 left in the game.  
 
AU regained the lead moments later, but a Bruggeman three-point play put the Mustangs back on top at 68-66 with 3:28 remaining. Following a free throw by AU, Bruggeman scored again at the 1:45 mark to push the lead to 70-67.
 
Mike Busack tied the game with a 3-pointer on the next Viking possession, before Weg and AU's Zach Huisken traded field goals to make the score 72-72 with 51 seconds left.
 
Following the 3-pointer by Lee, Busack was fouled on a 3-point attempt on the ensuing Vikings' possession, but he made just two of three free throws to keep SMSU in the lead. Bruggeman then made two more free throws with 14 seconds remaining to give the Mustangs a 77-74 lead in wouldn't give up.
 
Southwest Minnesota State will continue the weekend road trip tomorrow night facing Wayne State College at 6 p.m. in Wayne, Neb.