ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Missouri Western State Men's Basketball went into the half tied with Augustana 41-41 but took control in the second half to knock off the Vikings 76-72 on Friday at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

The Griffons (1-0) had four players score in double figures, led by JaRon Thames, who had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Taye Fields added 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Reese Glover chipped in as well with 10 points off the bench.

The Missouri Western offense was very productive from downtown, knocking down eight threes on 22 attempts. Kiani Saxon was the most prolific shooter for the Griffons, draining two treys in the contest.

Missouri Western forced 13 Augustana turnovers. The Griffons turned those takeaways into 17 points on the offensive end of the floor. Thames' one steal led the way for Missouri Western.

After falling behind 13-11, Missouri Western went on a 7-0 run with 13:58 left in the first half to take an 18-13 lead. Augustana then responded to tie things up at 41-41 heading into halftime. Missouri Western took advantage of six Augustana turnovers in the period and scored 11 points of those turnovers.

After intermission, Missouri Western grabbed a 63-54 lead before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Josh Book's jumper, to grow its advantage to 70-54 with 6:49 to go in the contest. The Vikings forced a 72-72 tie late, but two free throws by Thames with 12 seconds to go sealed the win. Missouri Western got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 15 of its 35 total points.

GAME NOTES

• Missouri Western outscored Augustana 35-31 in the second half after a halftime tie to pick up the victory.
• The Missouri Western bench made an impact by scoring 28 points to its scoring output.
• Glover and Book came off the bench to score 10 points apiece.
• The Missouri Western defense forced 13 turnovers.
• Thames led the Griffons with a game-high 18 points.
• Missouri Western got a game-high 10 rebounds from Thames.

UP NEXT
The Griffons play No. 21 Northern State (0-1) on Saturday at 6 p.m. back inside the MWSU Fieldhouse to conclude the Hillyard Tipoff Classic. The Wolves lost to No. 1 Northwest Missouri State 65-47 on Friday in St. Joseph.