SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Augustana women's basketball team returned to the Elmen Center emphatically, knocking off Bemidji State 65-59 on Friday night.

The Vikings (8-13, 5-10 NSIC) shot 48.1 percent (25 of 52) from the field while limiting the Beavers (8-11, 5-10 NSIC) to just 38.2 percent (21 of 55). AU also outscored BSU 42-22 in the paint and 15-9 off the bench in the victory. 

Isabella Sanneh added another double double to her season resume, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds while Ava Pautz scored 13 points while tallying six rebounds and four assists. Payton Hardy scored an efficient nine points with seven rebounds while Miranda Lomax and Maliyah Elliott added eight points apiece

After BSU opened the scoring, Pautz hit a jumper and Sanneh got a layup to give AU a 4-2 lead. After an 8-0 Beaver run, Lomax got an and-one to bring the Vikings within 10-7 at the 5:46 mark. 

Lomax answered a Beaver layup with a 3-pointer to bring the Vikings within two points. The Beavers grew their lead to four late but a Pautz putback rounded out the scoring, bringing AU within 17-15 into the second quarter. 

Hardy evened the scoring on the first Viking possession of the second quarter but BSU scored the next five points to regain a lead at 22-17 with eight minutes to play on the half. Sanneh made a layup with 6:34 to go in the half, starting a run of alternating baskets to keep the deficit between three and five, eventually bringing us to a 30-27 score in favor of the Beavers. 

Sanneh opened the second half with a layup and made one of two at the line with 8:49 left in the third to even the score at 30-30. Sanneh canceled out two BSU free throws with a layup and Edmonds added a layup after a Beaver layup to make it 34-34. 

BSU knocked down a 3-pointer to take a three-point lead and Sanneh fueled a run from there, making a pair of free throws before an Elliott layup, Pautz putback, Hardy free throw and Mia Donald layup closed a 9-0 run, giving the Vikings a 43-37 lead with 3:09 to go in the third. BSU scored five of the final seven points to get within 45-42 into the fourth quarter. 

The fourth quarter saw three Sanneh points in a 5-2 Viking run to put them ahead 50-44 with 8:40 to play in the game. The Beavers scored 10 of the next 12 points to regain a lead and then went back-and-forth, eventually leading 59-56 with 3:18 to go. 

AU took over from there, starting with a Sanneh layup to bring the Vikings within a point. She went on to take the lead a minute later with free throws and Maliyah Elliott corralled her own miss and hit a putback to take a 62-59 lead with 37 seconds to play. Hardy went on to hit a pair of free throws and Pautz hit one of her own to finish an 8-0 run and bring the game to its final score.

The Vikings close the weekend on Saturday afternoon, hosting Minnesota Duluth at 3:30 p.m., inside the Elmen Center.