Second-half push not enough as Griffins fall to No. 1-ranked Augustana

St. Louis, Mo. - Tied 4-4, Augustana men's basketball scored eight consecutive points to lead 12-4 when Fontbonne fought back with six unanswered to cut the score by two with 13:13 left to play in the first half. The Vikings took charge of the game and got out to a 21-12 lead and never looked back.

Leading 26-17, Augustana took advantage of Griffin fouls and scored 10 of their next 12 unanswered points from the free-throw line in a span of four minutes. The Vikings led 50-23 at halftime with a 23-8 rebounding advantage.

The Griffins out-scored Augustana 34-30 in the second half, not enough for the comeback victory over the No. 1-ranked preseason NCAA Division III favorite. The Vikings totaled 40 rebounds to Fontbonne's 25 while the Griffins committed twice as many turnovers as their opponent. Augustana took the lead in second-chance opportunities scoring 24 points off offensive rebounds.

Junior Jeff Smith led Fontbonne with nine points and five rebounds as the Griffins statistics were spread throughout the team. Only four of 16 players on the court didn't score.

The Griffins are 1-4 on the season and Augustana advances to 2-0. Fontbonne looks to rebound from their fourth consecutive loss this Saturday, November 28th when they host Concordia of Chicago at 3 p.m.