WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Sydney Doeschot poured in 25 points on 9-of-13 from the floor to help Augustana come from behind to beat No. 14 Central Missouri on the road, 82-74, in the MIAA/NSIC Women's Basketball Regional Challenge on Friday night.
Doeschot, who added five assists and three steals, was joined in double figures by
Sophia Anderson (15) and
Maliyah Elliott (10).
The Jennies stormed out of the gate in the first quarter and opened up a seven-point lead (22-15) after 10 minutes of action. The Vikings, however, would flip the script in the second stanza thanks to relentless pressure on defense and an attacking offense – resulting in a 30-point stretch for the visitors in the period – 26 of which came in the paint.
Augustana shot 72.2% in the second quarter (13-for-18) and stormed back on the scoreboard after a 9-0 run gave the Vikings the advantage, 33-31, with just over three minutes remaining until halftime. Central Missouri briefly tied the score, but the team was plagued by miscues. Augustana forced an astounding 30 turnovers which resulted in 35 points.
Anderson and Elliott were a dynamic duo down the stretch en route to a 45-38 cushion at the break inside the Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center.
The Jennies wouldn't go without a fight, however, as they closed the gap to five points on multiple occasions. Each time, though, the Vikings had an answer to balloon the lead once again. A crucial three-pointer from
Alexis Schaefer stopped a Central Missouri scoring spree to push the lead back to eight at 54-46 with 4:50 left in the third. From there, Augustana would continue to roll and find itself leading by 12 a few moments later.
The hosts would get back within striking distance once again, but yet another turnover spelled doom for The Jennies. Elliott would then take a stroll down the lane as her layup helped post a 60-53 score heading into the final quarter.
Both teams would go back-and-forth over the final minutes of the contest as the Vikings would net 22 points in the fourth period to earn their second-consecutive win to begin the year. In total, Augustana would tally 19 steals and hit 17-of-27 from the charity stripe.
The Vikings shot 53.4% for the game (31-for-58) while hitting just three treys on the night.
Lilliana Petersen pulled down six rebounds in the win as well.
Up Next
The Vikings (2-0) are back on the court tomorrow evening as they take on Missouri Southern in a neutral-site matchup.
