MARSHALL, Minn. – Three Vikings finished in double figures as Augustana women's basketball dropped a conference road contest to No. 22 Southwest Minnesota State, 88-65, on Friday night.
 
The loss moves AU to 4-17 overall and 2-13 in the NSIC while the Mustangs improve to 19-2 and 13-2.
 
Hannah Burg led with 12 points as Kelsey Willems tied her career high of 11 points—including three 3-pointers—and Isabella Sanneh scored 10. Burg, Lola Chambers and Olivia Hayenga all tallied five rebounds apiece and Willems added in six steals as she and Hayenga each dished four assists.
 
SMSU broke out to a 9-2 lead after a pair of free throws until a free throw from Hayenga and a triple from Burg closed in at 9-6. It turned into back-and-forth action as Sanneh hit back-to-back layups to keep the three-point difference. Two more shots at the stripe and a 3-pointer from Willems created a 16-15 game but the Mustangs would score the final eight points of the quarter to go up 24-15.
 
A Hardy free throw, Willems steal and Hayenga layup opened the second quarter but was soon followed by a two-and-a-half minute combined scoring drought. Sanneh scored next for the Vikings with 5:08 remaining to make it 27-20 and SMSU would respond with seven straight points. Willems would drain another triple and Burg would strike with 28 seconds remaining, but the home team remained ahead 41-25 at the half.
 
Out of the break, the Mustangs immediately pressed on the gas, scoring 15 straight points through the first four minutes of play. Augustana didn't score until 4:33 remaining in the quarter off a layup from Jordan Munson and buckets from Hardy and Hayenga would soon follow. Burg hit a triple with three seconds left in the quarter, but AU was behind 66-36.
 
Augustana outscored SMSU 29-22 in the fourth quarter, where multiple Vikings got in on the action as they continued to fight. Willems and Kaz Parks each knocked down 3-pointers and Eva Pardo-Campillo, Paige Grant and Lola Chambers all scored, but the final would end 88-65.
 
Augustana will return to action on the court on Saturday afternoon with a 2 p.m. battle against Wayne State College inside the Elmen Center.