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The No. 22 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team tied the game late with a tenacious rally but fell on a last-second shot Saturday night in a 72-70 setback against Augustana (Ill.) in an NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship second round contest at Kachel Gymnasium.
 
Trailing by eight with 1:57 remaining in the contest, the Warhawks (22-7 overall) posted an 8-0 run to tie the game at 70-70 with 21 seconds to play.
 
Junior guard Chris Jones (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech) started the run with a 3-pointer, and after a turnover by the Vikings, junior forward Demetrius Woodley (Milwaukee, Wis./Vincent) hit 1-of-2 at the free-throw line to make it 70-66 with 1:41 left.
 
After a stop on the other end, an empty UW-Whitewater possession, junior guard/forward Derek Rongstad (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) posted a steal and layup at the other end to bring the Warhawks within two.
 
With the Kachel Gymnasium crowd in a frenzy, the Warhawks forced another turnover by the Vikings (21-8), and Jones hit a floater in the lane to tie the game with 21 seconds left.
 
Augustana's Chrishawn Orange hit a fall-away 15-footer at the other end to put his team ahead with 1.6 seconds to play, and UW-Whitewater's final desperation shot fell short.
 
Jones finished with a team-high 22 points, six rebounds and five assists to lead the Warhawks, who were making their 21st NCAA Championship appearance and ninth in the last 12 years.
 
Junior forward Demetrius Woodley (Milwaukee, Wis./Vincent) registered 17 points and three steals, and junior forward Scotty Tyler (Grafton, Wis./Grafton) finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
 
The Vikings shot 51.7 percent from the floor for the contest, while UW-Whitewater hit 45.6 percent of its looks and knocked down 10 three-pointers.
 
The two teams went back and forth in the first half before Augustana took a 39-31 advantage with 2:37 left in the period. Senior guard Drew Bryson (Elkhorn, Wis./Elkhorn) hit a free throw and Jones hit a jumper in the final minutes to bring the Warhawks within 39-34 at the half.
 
UW-Whitewater came out hot in the second half with a 13-2 run to take a 47-41 lead with 15:50 on the clock. Woodley scored eight points in the run, including the last five during that span.
 
The Vikings quickly struck back with a 12-2 spurt, taking a 53-49 lead with 13:03 to play. Woodley tied the game for the Warhawks at the 10:13 mark, but UW-Whitewater went scoreless for the next five minutes until Jones converted a layup with 5:07 remaining to bring the team within 64-60.
 
Augustana hit a 3-pointer at the 2:08 mark to take a seven-point lead and set up a thrilling finish in the final two minutes.
 
Bryson, senior forwards Alex LeGault (Green Bay/Southwest) and Cole Van Schyndel (Kaukauna, Wis./Wrightstown) each played in their final game in a Warhawk uniform. All three were a part of UW-Whitewater's run to the 2014 national championship and played integral roles on this season's team.
 
The Vikings advance to next week's Round of 16, where they'll face Wartburg (Iowa).