SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana women's basketball dropped a home conference game 94-48 to Northern State on Saturday afternoon inside the Elmen Center.
 
The Vikings move to 3-14 on the season and 1-10 in conference play while the Wolves improve to 10-6 overall and 7-3 in the NSIC.
 
Brinlee McRae led with nine points and Olivia Hayenga followed close behind with eight. Isabella Sanneh collected a team-high four rebounds and two blocks while Payton Hardy, Hayenga and McRae each tallied two steals apiece.
 
Northern State took control early at 7-2 before locking into an all-out defensive battle. The lead increased to double digits with 3:54 remaining in the quarter and the Wolves would not look back. Augustana hit back-to-back buckets, but the visitors ended the quarter on a 13-0 run.
 
Hayenga broke the NSU streak at the 7:17 mark in the second quarter as the Vikings scored on three straight possessions but the Wolves continued to push with an 18-2 response. Despite five straight points from AU, the halftime score would sit at 55-22 in favor of Northern State.
 
Second half opened with a lengthy exchange of buckets for the first three minutes of action. The back-and-forth scoring turned into back-and-forth turnovers until the Vikings scored eight unanswered points and ended the third with the final four points, forcing a score of 74-41.
 
Northern State turned up the pressure and took over the fourth quarter, scoring the first 11 points of the final 10 minutes and controlling the momentum for the rest of the game, ending it 94-48.
 
Up Next
With one game on the schedule next week, Augustana will host Minot State on Saturday afternoon with a 5:30 p.m. tip scheduled.