MANKATO, Minn. - The Augustana women's basketball team (12-4,7-2 NSIC) earned the season sweep of Minnesota State for the second consecutive year after the Vikings rolled the Mavericks 91-68 in Mankato, Minn. on Friday night.

The Mavericks (7-5, 3-5 NSIC) got on the board first but the Vikings used a quick 11-2 run to jump out to an early seven-point advantage. Augustana was in a rhythm offensively for all of the first-quarter. After MSU scored five points to make it 11-7, Augustana used a 14-2 run in the final four minutes of the quarter to blow the game open in the first. The Vikings went into the second with a commanding 27-11 lead.

The second-quarter wasn't much different than the first as an Augustana 9-0 run vaulted the Vikings lead to 22. Minnesota State made a small 7-0 run to cut into Augustana's 38-23 lead but the Vikings responded with five-straight points of their own. In the final 2:35 of the half Augustana outscored Minnesota State 6-3, to go into the locker room with a 49-26 advantage on the road.

The third-quarter could not have started any worse for Augustana. The Vikings turned the ball over six times in the first five minutes that allowed Minnesota State to score the first 10-points of the quarter and cut Augustana's lead to just 13. Logan O'Farrell finally ended the Viking drought with an NBA-range three. But just a few possessions later MSU had the deficit to just 10-points. Late in the quarter the Vikings were jumped started by an old-fashioned three-point play by Naomi Rust, which sparked a 6-0 run for Augustana. Minnesota made a three with nine seconds left in the period but Augustana went into the fourth with a 67-52 lead.

The final quarter was the most even quarter of the game as neither team was able to generate a run that was larger than six points. The Vikings used a 6-0 run to regain the 20-point lead they had lost in the third-quarter. After regaining the 20-point lead Augustana never looked back. They enjoyed their largest lead of the game at 26-points in the game's final moments. Augustana walked away with a season sweep of MSU after defeating the Mavericks 91-68.

Viking of the Game
Paige Peterson was the ultimate sixth-man for the Vikings. Off the bench, Peterson scored a game-high 17-points. Peterson's 17-points are also a season best for the junior fro Jamestown, N.D. She finished one rebound shy of a double-double Friday night. She also led the Vikings in blocked shots with two.

Viking Notables
• Augustana improved to 44-28 all-time against MSU
• The Vikings are now 19-11 against the Mavericks when the game is played at MSU
• When the two teams play as conference opponents Augustana is now 42-20 against MSU
• This was Augustana's fourth straight win against the Mavericks
• Peterson led the team in scoring for the second time this season and led the Vikings in rebounding for the fourth time this season
• Four Vikings scored in double-digits: Peterson (17), Rust (14), Logan (13) and Presley (10)
• In her last five games, Rust has been on a tear averaging 14.6 points per game
• Sydney Rome led the team in assists with seven
• Logan had a season-high six steals
• The Vikings held the lead for 39:27

Up Next
Augustana will travel to St. Paul, Minn. for a match-up tomorrow afternoon against the Golden Bears of Concordia-St. Paul. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.