Vikings hang on to win after fourth quarter Thunder surge

CAMROSE, AB - Sweeping the season series, the Augustana Vikings took down the Concordia Thunder, 98-88 Friday night at Augustana Gym.

With the win, the Vikings improve to 8-4 on the season and trail the Keyano Huskies by four points. The Huskies are the only remaining team with a perfect season record. Meanwhile, the Thunder remains tied with the GPRC Wolves for fourth place in the ACAC North Division with six points apiece. 

Neck and neck to start the game, both teams exchanged leads through the first quarter, heading into the second even at 20 points.

Leading the Vikings in the win were veterans Nathan Bowie who had 29 points and four rebounds and Jon Mueller who had 27 points and six assists on the night.

Across the court, the Thunder found success from Arjun Dhaliwal who had 23 points and four assists, while teammate Nicholas Gibb added 21 points and two rebounds.

Hoping to open the game up, the Vings found themselves with the momentum, outscoring the Thunder, 28-17 to lead the game 48-37 at halftime, before continuing to grow the gap to a 65 point lead into the fourth and deciding quarter.

Looking to stay in the game, the Thunder found themselves in the driver's seat, going on an eight-point run to start the fourth and cut their host's lead in half. However, their run would prove to be too little too late as the Vikings hold onto claiming the win and sweep the season series, 98-88.

Looking ahead, the Vikings will welcome the Keyano Huskies to Camrose on Friday night at 8:00 PM, before heading to Edmonton to take on the NAIT Ooks at 3:00 PM. Meanwhile, the Thunder will take to the court for the third time this weekend as they host the Huskies Sunday afternoon at 3:00 PM in a rescheduled match-up. Catch all the action on ACACTV.