BOX SCORE

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A fast start and tough defense by the Augustana women's basketball team proved to be too much for William Penn in a 95-55 victory on Friday night at the Elmen Center. With the win, the Vikings remained perfect on the year, improving to 4-0. The Statesmen remained at 3-4 in an exhibition game for them.

Shaunteva Ashley turned in her best game of the young season, scoring a season-high 31 points to go along with eight rebounds, and six assists in the victory. Ashley's eight rebounds were also a new season high. The senior guard again continued to show her efficiency and control of the offense, getting her 31 points on just 11 field-goal attempts.

Nicole Kerkhoff had her best night of her career, scoring a career-most 15 points on 7 of 8 (87.5 percent) shooting. The Morgan, Minn. native also tied her season high with six boards in the victory.

Naomi Rust added 11 points in 10 minutes off the bench for Augustana.

WPU's Kadejah Young led the team with 13 points in 34 minutes in the loss.

Allison Kreuser was William Penn's other player in double figures in points, finishing with 12 points. Kreuser also pulled down six rebounds on the night.

The Vikings' 95 points were just three shy of their season-high set against Presentation College six days ago.

The Vikings got out to the start it has looking for, using a 12-2 run in the first 2:15 of the game to seize control, forcing the Statesmen to take an early timeout and try and regroup. Kerkhoff and Ashley each put in five points during the run.

Augustana continued its dominate run, upping its lead to 23 points after a nice baby hook in the post by Rust that made it 28-5 with just over 13 minutes until halftime. For Rust, it was her fifth point of the game.

The swarming defense continued to cause problems for WPU the rest of the half, with the Vikings outscoring William Penn at a steady pace to take a 58-32 lead into halftime.

Augustana's ball movement on offense was the biggest reason it had such open looks, dishing out 15 assists in the 20 made field goals in the first 20 minutes.

The Statesmen were limited to just 10 of 36 (27.8 percent) in the first half due the pressure defense that was being applied to them.

The Vikings' 58 points were the most they have scored in a half this year.

Kerkhoff poured in nine points on a flawless 4-of-4 shooting in the half.

In the second half, Augustana continued to press its attack, using an 11-2 run in the opening four minutes to push its lead to 35 points after a Kerkhoff layup made it 69-34 and gave the junior forward 13 points on the evening.

The Vikings were able to get their lead up to as many 45 in the second before finally settling on a 95-55 victory against WPU.

Nice Night Kid
Goes to Kerkhoff, who had arguably her best night in her career so far with a 15-point, six-rebound performance in just 21 minutes of work. The former Cedar Mountain High graduate has really made herself a scoring option for Augustana early this season with her soft touch around the rim and ability to shoot from deep.

Run and Gun
The Vikings are averaging 90.5 points through the first four games this year as a result of some high-pressure defense that is forcing their opponents into committing 23.5 turnovers per game and allowing them to get into their break early and often.

Sharing is Caring
Augustana's ball movement and commitment to finding a good open shot has been very evident through the first four games. The Vikings' 20 assists tonight marks their second game already this season with at least 20 assists in a game.

Up Next
Augustana returns to action on Monday to begin conference play with a meeting against No. 12 Wayne State. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. at the Sioux Falls Arena.