WINONA, Minn. – Winona State University threatened a late comeback Friday night in McCown Gymnasium, outscoring (RV) Augustana University in the fourth quarter, 21-10, but it wasn't enough for the Warriors to dig out of an early hole as the Vikings held on for a 78-67 road win.
WSU furiously slashed its 22-point deficit in the second half to just six points with under four minutes left on the clock, but Augustana denied the Warriors' comeback bid.
The Warriors played from behind all night long as the Vikings wasted little time controlling the opening tip off and knocking down their first of 17 three-pointers. On the other end of the court, Winona State misfired on its first six field goal attempts and was limited to just six points in the first period. Kayla Schaefer finally got the Warriors on the board midway through the frame with a three-pointer on her way to 12 points on the night.
Winona State struggled from the free throw line early in the game making only 3-of-8 in the first quarter but bounced back to shoot 65 percent from the charity stripe the rest of the way. The Vikings were whistled for 25 fouls in the game that led to 31 WSU free throw attempts.
The Vikings continued to control the first half of action, taking a 43-25 lead into the locker room. Augustana lived up to its billing as the NSIC's top-scoring offense by shooting 49 percent over the first two quarters. Defensively, the Vikings limited the home team to a 27 percent clip from the field in the first half.
Out of the break, Winona State began to show signs of life offensively. Allie Pickrain opened the second half with a three in transition assisted by Julia Silloway. The teams continued to trade baskets for the remainder of the high-scoring third quarter, but the Warriors were unable to cut too deeply into the Viking lead as Augustana continued to answer. The Vikings closed the period with a bucket from beyond the arc for their biggest lead of the night at 68-46.
Emily Kieck jumpstarted the Warriors in the final frame with a layup that sparked a 10-0 run for the Warriors to finally slash the Augustana lead to 12. Rachel Novotny asserted her dominance in the lane by scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter. The senior brought Winona State to within six points of the Vikings scoring from under the basket and completing a three-point play from the charity stripe to force a Viking timeout with 3:37 remaining.
Ultimately, the Warriors' valiant rally ran out of gas. Augustana knocked down a bucket after the timeout and WSU missed its final five field goals.
Novotny scored 17 of her career-high 21 points in the second high while pulling down nine rebounds. Taylor Hustad continued her dominance on the glass, collecting a career-best 11 rebounds, including five on the offensive end.
The Warriors fall to 3-3 (1-1 NSIC) on the season while Augustana improves to 9-1 (2-0 NSIC).
Winona State concludes the weekend at home Saturday against Wayne State College at 3:30 p.m.
