Augustana 81 Wayne State 73

            In a game of scoring runs by both teams, Augustana rallied from a 64-59 deficit with 6:46 remaining to outlast Wayne State College 81-73 Saturday evening in the Northern Sun Conference women's basketball opener for both teams played at the Sioux Falls Arena.  The host Vikings are now 8-1 on the season and 1-0 in league play while the Wildcats drop to 4-2 and 0-1 in NSIC play.
            The Wildcats got off to a slow start, trailing 13-3 less than five minutes into the contest.  Despite making just 4 of 13 shots in the first quarter, WSC worked their way back and trailed by just four at the end of the first quarter 16-12.
            WSC came on strong in the second quarter, making 8 of their first 9 shots from the field that included 3 of 4 behind the arc to take the lead.  A 17-2 Wildcat scoring run over a span of 4:48, highlighted by a three consecutive 3-pointers (two from Maggie Lowe and one by Haley Vesey), turned a 22-18 deficit into a 35-24 lead following an Erin Norling layup at the 3;36 mark of the second quarter.
            The host Vikings then went on a similar run at the end of the second quarter that carried into the third quarter as Augustana cut the WSC advantage to 36-32 at intermission.
            Augustana's scoring run over the two quarters was 17-3 covering 6:48, giving the Vikings a 46-41 lead.
            Wayne State then countered with a 10-0 run that put the lead back in the Wildcats' favor at 51-46 with 3:28 to play third quarter before the Vikings charged back to end the third quarter tied at 57-57.
            After Augustana scored the opening basket of the fourth quarter to take a 59-57 lead, WSC used an Andrea Larson 3-pointer, a pair of Haley Vesey free throws and a jumper by Amelia Ivester gave the Wildcats a 64-59 lead with 6:46 to play.
            But the Vikings reeled off the next 11 points to take the lead for good at 70-64 with 3:26 remaining.
            WSC got as close as one at 70-69 on a Vesey 3-pointer with 2:44 remaining, but the 'Cats went cold from the field the rest of the way and Augustana ended with the 81-73 win.
            Sophomore center Brittany Bongartz paced Wayne State in scoring with 15 points.  Vesey and Norling each added 14 points for the Wildcats.
            Wayne State made 25 of 62 shots from the field for 40.3 percent, including 7 of 27 behind the 3-point line and 16 for 23 at the charity stripe.
            Augustana's top scorer was Lynsey Prosser with 15 points.  Shelby Selland followed with 14 points followed by Vishe Rabb and Abby Hora with 12 points each.
            The Vikings shot 43.1 percent from the field, connecting on 31 of 72 shots.  Augustana was 12 of 33 from the 3-point line and 7 for 11 at the charity stripe.
            WSC held a 43-39 edge in rebounding thanks to nine boards from freshman Amelia Ivester. 
            Augustana forced 20 WSC turnovers while making 14 that resulted in a 22-13 advantage on points off turnovers.
            Sophomore guard Halley Busse tied a career-high with eight assists while freshman Kylie Hammer had four.
            Ivester was credited with three of Wayne State's four blocked shots.
            The Wildcats will be on the road again next weekend for NSIC games at Upper Iowa Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Winona State Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. contest.