Box Score
A strong first half by No. 1 seeded Fort Lewis College ended the season of the Augustana women's basketball team, beating them 79-52 in the semifinals of the NCAA Div. II Central Regional Championships on Saturday.
The Skyhawks improved to 32-3 on the season and advanced to the championship game against Concordia-St. Paul on Monday at 7 p.m. (MT).
The Vikings ended their season 24-7.
The Vikings led early, when a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Molly Hayes at the 18:14 mark made the score 5-2. Augie wouldn't see the lead again as Fort Lewis went on an 18-2 run to take a 20-7 lead with 10:34 remaining.
The Vikings were able to put two buckets together with a layup by junior guard Megan Doyle and another trey by Hayes with 9:14 remaining, pulling the Vikings within eight at 20-12. That was the closest the Vikings would get all game.
A tough full-court press by the Skyhawks only allowed the Vikings to score 10 more points in the half as they took a 43-22 lead at half thanks to a long three by senior guard Laura Haugen with just five seconds on the clock.
The Vikings were a dismal 27.3 percent (9-of-33) from the floor in the first half, and were just 20 percent (3-of-15) from downtown.
Fort Lewis was 48.6 percent (17-of-35) shooting and 50 percent (5-of-10) from behind the arc.
Strong defense by the Skyhawks forced the Vikings to commit 10 turnovers in the half while only tallying five of their own. They also collected six steals compared to three by Augustana.
The Vikings seemed to regroup in the second half, outscoring the Skyhawks 7-3. Hayes was fouled on a made layup, and made the extra shot to move the score to 46-31 with 17:22 remaining.
Fort Lewis then scored 10 straight points; including a trey by senior forward with 15 minutes to play that barely beat the shot clock. This made the score 56-31.
Augustana went on a small run, outscoring the Skyhawks 11-5 in the next 5:36 to make the score 59-42. This stretch included aggressive play underneath by sophomore center Teri VerSteeg, who made four points in the run.
Fort Lewis proved to be too strong for the Vikings, and they emptied their bench at the 2:05 mark with a 76-52 lead.
A trey by Fort Lewis sophomore guard Stephanie Beeman with 36 second on the clock made the final 79-52.
The Vikings ended the game shooting 33.3 percent (20-of-60) from the floor and 21.7 percent (5-of-23) from 3-point range. They were 77.8 percent (7-of-9) from the charity stripe.
Fort Lewis was 42.4 percent (28-of-66) from the floor and 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from downtown. They were nearly perfect from the free throw line, making 10-of-11.
Hayes led the offensive effort for Augie, ending the game with 17 points and five rebounds.
Doyle was the only other double-digit scorer with 10 points.
Allison Rosel was the leading scorer for the Skyhawks with 14 points, and Audrey George recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
