GAME NOTES
This week: Augustana (18-8, 11-8 NSIC) has just one game this weekend, hosting travel partner No. 9 Wayne State (?21-2, 18-1 NSIC) at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Hooping for a cure: Augustana hosts its WBCA Pink Zone game on Saturday in an effort create breast cancer awareness within the community and raise money towards research and finding a cure. To support the Vikings, purchase a $10 'Hooping for a Cure' t-shirt at the game.
Last time out: Augustana dropped both of its contests on the road last weekend. Northern State held Augustana to a season-low 54 points as the Wolves topped the Vikings 67-54 Friday night. On Saturday, U-Mary erased a 13-point second-half deficit and outscored Augustana 14-9 in overtime to collect a 99-94 victory.
The series: Augustana is 14-7 in the series against Wayne State. The Vikings began the series against the Wildcats on Dec. 16, 1989, and won seven consecutive games against WSC before dropping a 60-45 contest on Dec. 4, 1998. When the two teams met earlier this season, WSC topped the Vikings 73-69. It marked Augustana's third consecutive loss to the Wildcats.
Dave Krauth has coached the Vikings during all 21 previous meetings with WSC.
Home sweet home: Augustana is a perfect 11-0 at home this season and has an 18-game home winning streak that dates back to last season. The last time the Vikings lost on their own court was over a year ago. On Jan. 9, 2010, Minnesota State Moorhead handed Augustana an 80-75 loss in the Elmen Center.
Elmen Center: Augustana has been fierce in the Elmen Center since its opening during the 1988-89 season. The Vikings have won 255 games and lost just 53 in the Elmen for an 81.4 winning percentage in the 22 years since its opening. Below is the breakdown of Augustana's record in the Elmen.
Year Record
1988-89 2-6
1989-90 10-1
1990-91 13-1
1991-92 14-1
1992-93 11-0
1993-94 13-3
1994-95 9-5
1995-96 11-4
1996-97 11-2
1997-98 11-4
1998-99 11-3
1999-00 13-2
2000-01 14-3
2001-02 8-4
2002-03 7-6
2003-04 8-5
2004-05 19-1
2005-06 14-1
2006-07 9-1
2007-08 9-2
2008-09 13-2
2009-10 14-1
2010-11 11-0
Total 255-53
For the record: The Vikings had a school-record 19 3-pointers in their loss to U-Mary, breaking the old record by three. The previous record of 16 3-pointers was set twice, once on Nov. 25, 2005, against Puerto Rico-Bayamon and the second on Dec. 5, 2006, against Presentation.
Overtime: Augustana's overtime contest against U-Mary was the first of the season for the Vikings.
Doyle without a double: Megan Doyle did not reach double-figure scoring for the first time this season against Northern State when she recorded a season-low nine points. Doyle had gone 24 consecutive games in double digit scoring.
Emily Schulte (Sioux Falls, S.D.) was the lone Viking to tally 10 or more points in the game, recording 12. The outing was Schulte's first time with a game-high.
Career-high: Molly Hayes (Harrisburg, S.D.) made six 3-pointers to help the Vikings set the new school-record last Saturday and also scored 30 points for a new career-record. Hayes was 8 of 15 (53.3 percent) from the field, 6 of 11 (54.5 percent) in 3-pointers and 8 of 11 (72.7 percent) from the foul line.
Four square: Not only did Augustana have four in double-digit scoring last Saturday, but U-Mary did as well. The two teams combined for 193 points, which is more than any other game this season.
Foul trouble: U-Mary took 42 shots from the foul line on Saturday and the Marauders finished the evening 92.9 percent from the charity stripe, earning 39 of their points from free throw shooting. Augustana took just 16 free throw shots in the contest and finished 11 of 16.
Regionally speaking: Augustana climbed one spot and is ranked No. 6 in the latest Central Region rankings released Wednesday by the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Committee. The Vikings have a Division II and in-region record of 12-6.
Rank Team DII Record Region Record
1 Fort Lewis 19-1 20-1
2 Metro State 18-1 19-1
3 Wayne State (Neb.) 19-2 19-2
4 Colorado Christian 14-5 14-5
5 Concordia-St. Paul 13-7 13-8
6 Augustana 12-6 12-6
7 Northern State 14-6 14-6
8 Winona State 12-6 13-6
9 Mesa State 13-7 13-7
10 Colorado St.-Pueblo 12-6 12-7
Roster breakdown: The Vikings return all five starters and 11 letterwinners from last year's NCAA Tournament squad that had 24 wins. Augustana features seven guards, seven forwards and three centers on its 2010-11 roster. There are also four seniors, four juniors, three sophomores, three redshirt freshmen and three freshmen.
Coaches' corner: Dave Krauth enters his 22nd campaign at the Viking helm. His 439-200 won-loss record is unmatched in school history. In his 21 years on the bench, Krauth has experienced just one losing season. The veteran head coach has guided his squads to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and finished second in the NSIC in 2009-10 before qualifying for the NCAA Tournament and advancing to the region semifinals. Krauth is assisted by
Mark Stavenger, Amy Puthoff and Shawn Bergan.
According to the coaches: Augustana was selected second in the 2010-11 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Vikings received two first-place votes and 152 points from the conference's 14 head coaches. Wayne State received 11 first-place votes and 166 points to take the No. 1 position. Concordia-St. Paul was third (one first-place votes, 150 points), while Minnesota Duluth and Winona tied for fourth (125 points).
1. Wayne State (11) 166
2. Augustana (2) 152
3. Concordia-St. Paul (1) 150
4. Minnesota Duluth 125
Winona State 125
6. MSU Moorhead 97
7. Northern State 93
8. Minnesota State 91
9. Minnesota, Crookston 63
10. St. Cloud State 69
11. U-Mary 51
12. Southwest Minnesota State 49
13. Bemidji State 40
14. Upper Iowa 13
( ) First Place Votes
NCAA Tournament time: The Vikings advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2009-10 for the second consecutive year. Last season, the Vikings made it to the semifinals before dropping to Fort Lewis. Krauth has 11 NCAA Tournament appearances under his belt.
Coach Puthoff: Amy Puthoff has not always enjoyed basketball from the sidelines as a graduate assistant coach. She once had a successful career at Augustana herself. In her senior season, the Hartford, S.D., native became the 24th player in school history to score 1,000 points and ended her career eighth on the all-time scoring list with 1,384 points. In addition, Puthoff is fourth on the all-time career 3-point field goal chart with 207.
Vikings add three for 2011-12: Head coach
Dave Krauth announced Nov. 9 that Alex Kneeland from Summit, S.D., Sophie Kenney from Fargo, N.D., and Nicole Kerkhoff from Morgan, Minn., have all signed letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at Augustana beginning in 2011-12. Kneeland, a 5-foot-7 guard, averages 26.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game and is a two-time All-State first team selection. Kenney, a 5-foot-10 guard, lead Shanley High School to the consolation championship and averaged nine points, four rebounds and 6.5 assists per game during her junior season. Kerkhoff is a 5-foot-11 forward who averaged 15 points and eight rebounds per game to earn All-Area first team honors as a junior.
Follow live: There are several ways to get up-to-the-second updates from Augustana basketball games--both home and away. Jeff Fylling calls all the games live on KXRB-AM 1000; that broadcast can also be picked up at www.kxrb.com/stream. All of the Vikings' home games are video webcasted at ?www.GoAugie.com/webcast Each conference road contest is also webcast by the host institution. A link for broadcasts on the road can be found on the “schedule” page on the women's basketball home page. Live statistics for all of Augustana's home games can be viewed by logging onto www.GoAugie.com/livestats. For live stats of each road game, check out www.GoAugie.com/livecentral or go to the “schedule” page on the women's basketball homepage.
The Augustana Coaches' Show: Live from the Gateway Lounge in Sioux Falls, The Augustana Coaches' Show airs each Monday at 5 p.m. Join Jeff Fylling and Augustana head coaches as they discuss various topics surrounding Viking athletics.
Stay connected: Follow Augustana all season long on its official online home, www.GoAugie.com. You can also get the latest news and updates on the Vikings on Facebook (www.facebook.com/GoAugie) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/GoAugie). To view video highlights and the latest episode of the Augustana Sportscene, log onto the Vikings' official YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/GoAugie).
