SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A 29-point performance from Hannah Burg and a double-double from Isabella Sanneh was not enough to keep Augustana women's basketball from falling to Sioux Falls, 83-65, on Tuesday night inside the Elmen Center.
 
The loss drops the Vikings to 6-19 overall and 4-15 in NSIC play while the Cougars improve to 15-11 and 11-8.
 
Burg's 29 points led all scorers in her 40 minutes of play with eight assists and three steals. Sanneh collected a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Olivia Hayenga joined with 11 points.
 
Augustana's first two baskets of the night came off of back-to-back triples from Burg and Kelsey Willems, pushing ahead 6-4. And then the Vikings went cold. Sioux Falls stunned on a 22-0 run over the next 5:42.
 
A jumper and a 3-pointer from Burg broke the streak, but the home team remained down 27-11 at the end of the first.
 
Despite the start, the Vikings seemed to gain momentum as they rattled off eight straight points to open the second. AU closed in at 27-19 with 6:57 remaining, but a USF bucket broke the run. Neither team would score again for nearly three minutes and it soon turned into an 11-0 run for the visitors.
 
Burg continued to sizzle from the floor—drilling a jumper and another 3-pointer—as Willems added a triple of her own with two seconds remaining. The Cougars held the 43-30 advantage heading into the locker room.
 
Hayenga struck first out of the break and the Vikings followed that up with an enthusiastic 10-2 run. Sanneh dropped six points in the 2:39 minutes of control, including the layup to cut in at 47-42.
 
The back-and-forth battle began, with AU cutting the lead to as many as four as Sioux Falls continued to hit shots from behind the arc. Defenses locked in but the visitors remained ahead 58-50 through three quarters of play.
 
The Cougars then went a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc on consecutive possessions to fight off the Viking shooting. A USF layup with 5:42 remaining forced the lead back to double digits at 71-60.
 
Hayenga hit a triple in response, but the visitors went on an 8-0 streak. The run halted the Viking momentum and helped close the game, 83-65
 
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Augustana will close its home season by hosting Bemidji State and St. Cloud State on Friday and Saturday, respectively, at the Sanford Pentagon.