SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Paced by four Vikings in double figures, Augustana women's basketball ended 2024 on a high note with a 76-60 defeat of Mount Marty on Tuesday night inside the Elmen Center.
 
The Vikings improve to 2-11 on the year with a 0-7 conference showing while the Lancers sit at 6-7 so far this season.
 
Olivia Hayenga led all scorers with her career high of 25 points off 8-of-14 shooting, including 6-of-8 from behind the arc, with a team-high nine rebounds while Payton Hardy finished with 15 points alongside a 7-of-8 showing at the free throw line.
 
Hannah Burg and Brinlee McRae added in 12 points each while Burg dished four assists and McRae tied with Hayenga to lead with four steals apiece. Hardy, Hayenga and Burg also each added in a block.
 
Augustana forced 21 turnovers for the Lancers while draining 12 3-pointers and pulling down 40 rebounds.
 
After falling behind 7-2 early in the first quarter, the Vikings rallied to take control at 10-9 after back-to-back triples from Burg and Hayenga. Mount Marty in turn hit its own 3-pointer to regain the lead until McRae got hot and drilled two triples on consecutive plays. She then hit another 3-pointer with under a minute remaining to give AU the 19-17 lead at the quarter break.
 
Hayenga and Hardy combined for five points to push the lead to six in the beginning of the second quarter. After nearly two scoreless minutes, Hayenga hit another triple before again locking into a defensive battle. Burg made it a 33-26 game with her layup and Kelsey Willems forced a 40-32 advantage at the half after knocking down a 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining.
 
Buckets from Burg, Hardy and Hayenga created a nine-point lead at the 6:28 mark in the third, eventually growing to double digits off of two free throws. It eventually ballooned to a 53-40 advantage following a jumper from Isabella Sanneh, but Mount Marty responded with four straight points. McRae's free throw pushed a 55-46 lead heading into the final quarter.
 
Despite four early points from the Lancers, Hayenga continued to shoot the lights out with another set of back-to-back triples to open the fourth. A layup and two free throws from Sanneh opened up a 65-52 lead and a 12-0 run from the home team, creating a 21-point advantage. MMU scored six straight and Eva Pardo-Campillo hit a triple to seal the 76-60 victory.  
 
Up Next
Augustana will hit the road for a weekend of NSIC contests, facing St. Cloud State at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and Bemidji State at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.