Box Score Sioux Falls, SD – After matching homestanding Augustana basket for basket over the first 30 minutes, the University of Mary couldn't keep up the pace the last ten in an 85-78 loss to the Vikings. Freshman Brandon Tyler scored a career-high 18 points for U-Mary but the Marauders had no answer for Cameron McCaffrey and his 40 points for Augie.
 
Tyler knocked down six treys for the Marauders in nine attempts to lead an impressive team effort behind the arc. Coming off the bench, the guard from Oshkosh, WI, also had two rebounds and two assists to go with his 18 points. His previous scoring high was 11.
 
Alex Dorr added 17 points for the Marauders, draining 3-of-5 shots behind the arc. He snared six rebounds and dished four assists. Jalen Jaspers chipped in 12 points, five rebounds and three assists. Mike Johnson made both his three point attempts and scored eight points while leading U-Mary in assists with five. Blake Maslonkowski had six points and a game-high seven rebounds off the bench.
 
The Marauders couldn't slow McCaffrey. The senior all-conference guard made 6-of-8 three point attempts and was 13-of-21 overall. He was 8-of-10 at the line, distributed seven assists, made two steals and didn't commit a turnover. Alex Richter chipped in 16 for the Vikings and Jamall Taylor had 11.
 
U-Mary went 14-of-25 on three pointers while hitting 51.7 per cent of its shots from the field. Augie shot just 43.9 per cent overall and made 11-of-26 shots behind the arc. The Vikings had a decisive edge at the free throw line, making 16-of-26 compared to a 4-of-6 night for the Marauders. Additionally Augustana committed just two turnovers while forcing 15, leading to an 18-2 edge in points off turnovers.
 
A wild first half featured eight lead changes and five ties before Augie entered intermission leading 45-43. In a second half that witnessed two more ties and six lead changes, the Marauders grabbed a 57-55 lead on a Tyler three-pointer with 11:22 remaining in the game. It was the last U-Mary lead of the night as McCaffrey answered immediately with a three pointer of his own.
 
McCaffrey built the Augie lead to 63-57 on a jumper in the paint and a three pointer. A Maslonkowski free throw at 7:04 closed the Marauders within 67-65 but an 8-0 Vikings run put the game out of reach. The closest U-Mary would come the rest of the night was five points when Tyler hit his last three with 26 seconds left.
 
U-Mary slips to 3-12 overall and 2-9 in the NSIC after losing its sixth straight game. Augie improves to 11-4 and 7-4.
 
The Marauders finish off three road games in five days at Wayne State College on Saturday, January 19.
 
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