MANKATO, Minn. – An offensive lapse in the second quarter would be the decider to the Augustana women's basketball team falling to Minnesota State, 80-72, inside Taylor Center on Saturday night.

After one quarter played, Augustana (12-9, 8-9) led Minnesota State 21-17.

The two teams battled for the majority of the second quarter before the Mavericks (18-5, 14-5) went on an 8-to-1 run to lead 36-29 heading into halftime. In all, the Vikings were outscored 19-8 in the quarter.

Augustana would close the deficit at the 6:57 mark in the third quarter off of a Kenzie Rensch triple, to make it 41-39 in favor of the Mavericks.

However, the Mavericks, who went 10-of-20 from the field in the quarter, would continue to find offensive bursts, taking a 14-point lead with under four minutes to go in the third quarter at 58-44.

At the 6:17 mark in the fourth quarter, Aislinn Duffy would bring the Vikings to within six points off a layup to make it 67-61.

The high-scoring Mavericks would not be denied, once again garnering a 10-point lead with just over three minutes left in regulation.

Lauren Sees brought the Vikings back to within six points after knocking down a 3-pointer. But Augustana would be forced to foul down the stretch, giving the Mavericks baskets from the charity stripe to conclude the contest at 80-72.

The Vikings were led by Sees with 23 points while Duffy contributed a double-double, securing her 10th of the year, with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Michaela Jewett had a career night, scoring 12 points paired with nine rebounds.

The Mavericks were led by Taylor Theusch with 18 points while Mikayla Nachazel had 10 rebounds.

Up Next

The Vikings return to action on Thursday night, traveling a few blocks to Sioux Falls, slated for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff. Augustana then will host SMSU on Saturday inside the Sanford Pentagon at 3:30 p.m.

–GoAugie.com–