SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- They battled some uncharacteristic shooting woes to start (connecting on just 5-of-18 shots in the first quarter,) but fueled by a packed Elmen Center and tenacious defense, the Augustana women's basketball team crushed Lindenwood, 75-41, Friday night in the first round of the Central Region Tournament. The Vikings improve to 28-3 overall, which ties the program record for the most wins in a season season, and the 41 points put up by the Lady Lions was the least amount of points Augustana has given up all year.

"We are really fortunate to be able to host the Central Region Tournament," senior guard Logan O'Farrell said. "We knew that having our crowd behind us would really give us energy and help us get going."

After a sluggish first quarter, Augie turned it on. A jumper from senior Paige Peterson gave the Vikings a 15-8 lead and a layup by Presley O'Farrell extended the lead to 10 points. Lindenwood charged back with help from a three-pointer from Lindsay Medlen that cut the Augie advantage to just four. Logan O'Farrell, a senior from Summit, S.D., fired back with a triple of her own to stop the Lady Lion run.

Augustana gained momentum towards the end of the first half, leading by 11 points at the break. They brought that momentum with them to start the second half, and with 6:15 to play in the third quarter, a layup from Lynsey Prosser capped a 14-2 Augie run that gave the Vikings a 16 point lead. Augustana outscored Lindenwood 19-5 in the third quarter. "We weren't happy with our first half performance," Paige Peterson said. "We did not want to lose this game, so we just dug deeper and rallied together. None of us want to be done yet."

The rout started to take form in the fourth quarter. Abby Hora hit a jumper to push the Vikings to a 65-35 lead followed by a layup from senior Naomi Rust. McKenzee Zilverberg's layup with 23 seconds to play gave Augie a 34 point advantage, their largest lead of the night. "We really started playing well during this stretch," head coach Dave Krauth said. "We strung together a few plays and really got the crowd into it." Lindenwood shot just 22 percent from the field and made just three 3-pointers all night. "Defense is what we strive on," Logan O'Farrell said. "If we can get some stops, rebound and turn those into fast breaks, that's really how we get going."

Logan O'Farrell poured in a game-high 21 points, added five rebounds and swiped a career-high eight steals on the night. Paige Peterson, a senior from Jamestown, N.D., dropped 17 points, corralled a team-high seven rebounds to go along with her three steals. Presley O'Farrell was the third Viking in double-figures and added 10 points Friday night.

Augie forced 29 Lindenwood turnovers and held the Lady Lions to shoot just 22 percent.

The Vikings return to action Saturday, March 10 and will take on the winner of the Northern State - Arkansas Tech game at 7:30 p.m. in the semifinals inside the Elmen Center.