Box Score
A strong first half by
Amy Puthoff and the Augustana women's basketball team propelled the Vikings to a convincing 85-57 win over the Upper Iowa Peacocks Friday night in the Elmen Center.
With the win, Augustana improves to11-4 overall and 4-3 in NSIC play, while the Peacocks dropped their fifth straight game and now sit at 5-11 overall and 1-8 in the NSIC.
Puthoff got things going for Augustana, putting up 10 straight points for the Vikings to take an early 17-6 lead at 12:01 in the first half.
From that point Puthoff and the Vikings went on a 23-2 run in the next 6:11 to take a commanding 40-8 lead with10:06 left to play in the half.
The Vikings continued their dominance going halftime with a 49-18 lead. As a team, the Vikings shot 56 percent from the field on 19-of-34 shooting, while going an astonishing 9 of 15 from the 3-point line.
Augustana which led by as many as 34 points in the first half, held the Peacocks to just 21 percent shooting and just seven field goals in the first half.
Puthoff led all players with 19 points in the first half on 5 of 9 shooting from the field, while going 5 for 6 from beyond the arc.
Chelsea DeVille scored 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting, while dishing out 4 assists.
Whitney Hofer grabbed 6 rebounds and blocked 2 shots to go along with her 5 points to round out the Vikings top scores in the first half.
Augustana did not let up in the second half, as the Vikings jumped out to an 14-3 run in the second half to hold their largest lead at 62-21.
The Vikings went on to shoot 46 percent from the field in the game on 31-of-68 shooting in the game, while holding the Peacocks to 28 percent on 21 of 74 shooting.
Puthoff finished the night with 19 points, while playing just 8 minutes in the second half, while Hofer scored 13 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.
Dani Arens scored 8 points and grabbed 7 boards on the night.
DeVille scored a season-high 15 points in the game, while
Brooke Olsen scored a season-high 8 points on 3-of-5 shooting.
Andrea Downs led all Peacocks with 12 points on the night.
The Vikings will be back at home Saturday to take on Winona State at 6:05 p.m. in the Elmen Center.
The game will be televised on Midcontinent Communications (MC 23 in Sioux Falls).
