SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Augustana University women's basketball team (11-4, 6-2 NSIC) ended the 2016 calendar year on the losing end, falling to the University of Sioux Falls 71-66.

For the second straight day, the Vikings came out of the gates slow. The Cougars (10-2, 6-2 NSIC) on the other hand couldn't seem to miss a shot, scoring the game's first 11-points. The Vikings finally got on the board with just over seven minutes left in the first when Sydney Rome found Naomi Rust for two. After both teams went through a two-minute stretch without scoring, USF again got hot, jumping out to a 22-9 lead. A few possessions later with the score at 25-13, both teams again went over two minutes without scoring, this time to end the quarter.

The second-quarter belonged entirely to Augustana, only allowing USF to score a grand total of nine points. After Rust opened the quarter with a layup, the Vikings again went scoreless for the next three minutes. Trialing 30-15 with 6:12 left in the half, Augustana got the spark they needed when Rome hit two free-throws. Following the free-throws, Augustana went on a 15-5 run, highlighted by 11-straight over a three-minute period. The Vikings used the 15-5 run to go into the locker room trailing by just four points, at 34-30.

The halftime break took away some of the momentum that the Vikings gained at the end of the second-quarter. USF opened the second half on a 9-4 run. Augustana had put in a lot of work to get the deficit to under 10 in the second-quarter, but with just under six minutes left in the third USF was able to regain a double-digit lead. Augustana scored the final three points of the third quarter but trailed 58-44 going into the final frame.

With some momentum back, the Vikings continued to score early in the fourth quarter, scoring the first six points of the frame and getting the deficit back to single-digits. The Vikings were unable to keep the deficit at single digits until the midway point of the final quarter when the Vikings went on a small run to get back into the game. Trailing by 12, the Vikings scored seven straight to make it 64-57 with just 3 minutes left. USF knocked down a three but once again Augustana was able to score six unanswered to pull to within four. The Vikings comeback fell short as the clock became their biggest enemy. Augustana ended the 2016 calendar year with a 71-66 loss.

Viking of the Game
Presley O'Farrell earned her first career double-double with 12-points and 11-rebounds. This was also Presley's first career game with double-digit rebounds. Presley was a perfect 2-of-2 from behind the arc and 4-of-9 from the field. She added two assists, one block and one steal to her totals.

Viking Notables
• Augustana fell to 29-7 all-time against USF
• This is the first time since Jan. 24, 2014 that Augustana has lost two straight games to USF
• The Vikings are now 5-4 against USF when the two teams play as conference rivals
• Rust earned her first double-double of the season with a team-high 16-points and 10 rebounds
• The last time Augustana had two players record a double-double in the same game was back on Feb. 6, 2016 when Logan O'Farrell and Nicole Kerkhoff did it
• Paige Peterson scored double-digit points for the second consecutive night
• Augustana shot 32 percent from the field and 20 percent from behind the arc
• USF shot 34 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the arc
• Augustana outscored the USF bench 27-17
• The Vikings outscored the Cougars 30-8 in the paint
• USF ended the game with 15, 3-point makes. They hadn't reached that total since the 2014-15 season
• During the 2016 calendar year Augustana was 25-10, 20-8 NSIC

Up Next
Augustana will be on the road next weekend when they travel to Minnesota to take on Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul.