SALEM, VA.— The Augustana men’s basketball team was defeated by University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the NCAA Division III National title game, with a final score of 70-54.
Junior forward Brandon Motzel came out strong during the Viking’s first half of play, scoring eight points off the bench. Junior guards Hunter Hill and Jawan Straughter each added four points.
Despite Augustana’s efforts to carve out a lead, UW-Stevens Point held the lead for 11:39 minutes, earning 32 points. The Vikings only held the lead for 6:00 minutes of the first half, making one of five three-pointers and 10 of 23 field goal shots. This put Augustana down by nine at the half.
The Vikings tried to rally in the beginning of the second half with an immediate two points by junior guard Griffin Pils to cut their deficit to seven.
Yet, Augustana was unable to gain a lead and trailed the Pointers throughout the second half’s entirety. UW-Stevens Point scored six three-pointers during the course of the second half, while Augustana only scored two.
The team finishes out their season with a record of 27-5.