BOX SCORE

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Logan O'Farrell put herself in the right place at the right time at the end, pulling down the key rebound of the night and going back up to score the game-winner with two seconds to go in a 59-57 win over No. 16 Northern State on Friday night at the Sioux Falls Arena.

The victory pushed the Vikings' winning streak to a season-high five and record to 16-8 (10-7 NSIC), while the Wolves had their own four-game winning streak snapped and fell to 19-4 (13-4 NSIC) on the year.

The 16 wins match last season's win total with at least five games remaining on the schedule.

Despite a pair of rough-shooting nights by the normally reliable Shaunteva Ashley and Nicole Kerkhoff, Augustana was able to pick up its biggest win of the year with some great defense against the dominant post players of NSU and good shooting from the 3-point line.

Allie Koehn and Ashley led the Vikings with 11 points each. Koehn also knocked down 3 of 4 from beyond the arc, her second straight game with in double figures.

Paige Peterson was a threat down on the low block, making some key shots late as part of a 10-point, six-rebound performance.

L. O'Farrell finished with seven points, but got the two that mattered most late with her game-winning layup with two seconds left. O'Farrell also had a team-high nine rebounds.

Rachel Krogman led Northern State with 12 points and 15 rebounds, her 12th double-double this season. Krogman, though, was forced into a lot of tough shots by the Augustana defense, going just 4 for 14 in 35 minutes of play.

Recently named NSIC North Division Player of the Week Devon Brecke added a game-high 16 points.

The Vikings got the start they wanted, jumping out to an 8-0 lead less than two minutes into the contest, highlighted by Ashley racking up five of the first eight points for Augustana during the stretch.

An 11-5 run got the Wolves back to within two going into the under-15 media timeout. NSU used its size to get the some shots close to the rim.

Augustana pushed its lead to nine after a pair of made free throws by Ashley gave her nine points in the first half. The senior's speed gave the Northern State defense fits throughout the opening 20 minutes.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Koehn and Sydney Rome put the Vikings back up by nine at 26-17, its biggest lead of the contest. For Koehn, it was her second 3-pointer of the half.

A late rally by the Wolves cut the Augustana lead to three at 28-25 with just seconds to go before a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Sophie Kenney sealed a good first half and put the Vikings up by six going into the break.

Augustana's defense was able to hold Krogman in check in the first half, keeping her to four points on 1-of-8 shooting.

The Wolves, entering the game ranked seventh in Division II in turnovers, had trouble against the pressing defense of the Vikings, who forced them into eight first-half turnovers.

The 3-point shot played a huge role for Augustana in the opening half. The Vikings were feeling it, going 7 of 13 from beyond the arc in the half.

Neither team got much going in the first five minutes of the second half as Augustana took a five-point lead into the under-15 media timeout. Both teams combined to go 4 for 15 to start the half.

A layup and made free throw with by Krogman gave her the double-double and brought NSU to within two points with a little over 10 minutes to go in the ballgame.

Northern State grabbed its first lead of the game shortly after on a made layup by Sami Smith that made it 44-43.

The Vikings bounced back, using a 14-6 run over the next six minutes that was capped off by a Kerkhoff layup to make it a seven-point game with 3:11 on the clock. It was the junior's seventh point of the contest.

The play of the game, maybe year, came during the final ten seconds of the game. With the game tied at after a jumper by Megan Mutchler, Augustana quickly marched down the down the floor and got a good look for Kerkhhoff, who missed the go-ahead layup under the left side of the basket. L. O'Farrell, near Kerkhoff in the post, quickly jumped into the right position to pull down the offensive rebound and go back up and nail the game-winner with two seconds to go to give the Vikings the upset.

Million ways to win
Augustana has continued to show it can win in a variety of ways as of late. This time it used some great defense and good shooting from deep against one of the best defensive teams in the country to overcome a night when its stars weren't on with their shots on the offensive end of the floor.

Up next
The Vikings look to continue to build on its winning streak with a meeting against MSU Moorhead on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.