No. 7 Viking Women Crush SMSU, 79-44

by Nick Lenz, Sports Anchor/Reporter
December 08, 2012 3:05 PM


SIOUX FALLS, S.D. –  Augustana drained eight three-pointers and swatted nine Southwest Minnesota State shots in a 79-44 win Friday night.  The Vikings remain undefeated at 6-0 overall, 2-0 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference competition.  The Mustangs drop to 1-5 overall, 0-2 in NSIC action.
 
Augustana’s nine blocked shots goes down as a season high and the Vikings have now hit at least eight three point field goals in four of their six games this season.
 
Riley Nordgaard led the Vikings with 15 points and 11 rebounds matching season highs in both and recording her second career double-double.  Shaunteva Ashley also knocked in 15 points to go along with her five assists.
 
Alison Nagel led the Mustangs and all scorers with 16 points, but the Vikings held her to just 6-20 shooting on the night. Emily Schulte’s three-point barrage carried her to a season-high 14 points.
 
As a team, the Vikings racked up 15 steals, tying a season-high, and converted 27 SMSU turnovers into 35 points.  The Augustana bench also outscored Southwest Minnesota State’s reserves 27-14.
 
The Vikings closed the first half on a 25-4 run and took a 39-18 lead into the intermission.  Schulte hit three three-pointers that broke a 14-14 tie and fueled the run while finishing the half leading all scorers with her nine points.
 
After the 14-14 tie, Augustana hit eight of their next nine shots including all four three-point field goals.  The Vikings hit the glass after being out-rebounded early on and finished the first half with a 23-20 edge on the boards led by Nordgaard’s five rebounds off the bench.
 
Forcing 13 turnovers, Augustana scored 19 points off SMSU mistakes and converted six offensive rebounds into nine points.  Shaunteva Ashley kept the Vikings in the game early with eight points in the first stanza.
 
The Vikings opened the second half with a pair of three pointers from guards Schulte and Ashley to expand their lead.  After giving up a pair of free throws, Augustana used a 10-0 run and put the Mustangs away for good.
 
Nordgaard carried the Augustana bench to close out SMSU and tallied her second career double-double in just her sixth game in a Viking uniform.
 
The Vikings now turn their focus to cross-town rival University of Sioux Falls who comes into the Elmen Center tomorrow at 4 p.m.