MANKATO, Minn. — Mesa State fell to Augustana (S.D) 95-84 in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II Central Regional on Sunday night in Mankato, Minn., a disappointing end for the regular-season RMAC champion Mavericks, who had the most successful season in school history.
Senior Mike Dominguez led Mesa State (23-6) with a career-high 41 points, including six 3-pointers, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a second-half comeback by the Vikings (24-6).
Mesa State led 41-35 at halftime, then started the second half with a 6-2 run, only to have Augustana go on a 15-6 run to take the lead. The Vikings remained in front the rest of the game, and though the Mavericks closed the gap to six points with 43 seconds left, Augustana hit 7-of-9 free throws down the stretch to seal the win and advance to the title game Tuesday night, where they will face St. Cloud State.
The Vikings held a 55-37 rebound advantage, pulled down 19 offensive boards and made 31-of-39 free throws while the Mavericks made 15-of-21 from the line.
Michael Bear and Brian Kenshalo came off the bench and each scored 12 points for the Mavericks. Bear also led the team in rebounds with seven.
Dominguez, the RMAC player of the year and the team leader in scoring, finished the game 13-for-24 from the field and 9-of-9 from the free-throw line. He also led the team with four assists.
Denver Post staff and wires
