WAYNE, Neb. - The Augustana Viking women's basketball team opened the week on Wednesday night, falling 60-51 to the Wayne State Wildcats inside Rice Auditorium.  

The Vikings move to 1-7 on the year and 1-5 in the NSIC, while the Wildcats move to 4-5, 1-5.

Jennifer Aadland led all scorers with a season-high 18 points and added five rebounds. Lauren Sees added 14 points, three assists, and a pair of steals. Michaela Jewett grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. CJ Adamson nabbed a career-high five steals, while Kenzie Rensch added three steals. The Vikings recorded 16 steals as a team, their most since Nov. 15, 2021. 

With a jumper on the first possession of the game, Sees passed Aislinn Duffy for 15th on Augustana's all-time scoring list. The Vikings were fierce on the offensive glass in the early going, snatching six offensive rebounds in the first 5:10 of game time, including three from Izzy Moore, to help put them ahead 5-2. 

The scoring picked up following the media timeout, as the Vikings made four of their final five shots and the Wildcats made five of their final six, including a three pointer as time expired to take a 16-15 lead into the second quarter. 

That WSC three helped give the Wildcats a jolt, leading a 10-0 run before an Aadland baseline jumper ended the run with WSC leading 23-17. Rensch followed the bucket up with an offensive board and putback, but the WIldcats responded with a layup to lead 25-19 with 6:32 left in the half. 

After a Sees jumper brought the Vikings within four, WSC rattled off 12 of 16 points, including another buzzer-beating three pointer, to take a 37-25 lead into the second half. 

After the two teams traded buckets to open the second half, the Wildcats ripped off a 9-2 run to grow their lead to 48-29 with 4:48 to play in the third quarter. 

The Vikings brought life in the final 3:20 of the quarter, scoring eight of ten points, led by five from Aadland, to trail 50-37 into the fourth quarter. 

Moore broke a 3:21 scoreless stretch to open the fourth quarter with her first basket of the game, making a backdoor cut to the block and finishing off a pass from Aby Phipps. 

The Wildcats responded with a two on their next possession, and the Vikings answered back with a 5-1 run to get within single digits at 53-44 with 2:05 remaining. The teams split the final 18 points, bringing the game to its final score. 

The Vikings are back home Saturday, hosting Southwest Minnesota State at 7:30 p.m., inside the Sanford Pentagon.