Box Score ROCKFORD, Ill. – Turnovers (31 in all) proved costly on Monday, December 30 as Augustana fell to Rockford 81-78 in overtime. It was the final non-conference game of the 2013-14 campaign for second-year head coach Mark Beinborn's team, which will begin College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin play on Saturday, January 4 with a 5:00 p.m. home game against defending league champion Carthage.
 
The Vikings got off to a great start, scoring the first eight points of the game as senior Jessica Baids (West Chicago HS, Carol Stream, Ill.) had a basket and a free throw while senior Amy Hicks (Rockford Christian HS, Rockford, Ill.) dropped in a three point field goal and sophomore Marissa Pezzopane (Addison Trail HS, Wood Dale, Ill.) scored a field goal. It was 8-0 before Rockford scored at 13:57 on a basket by Mallorie Getzelman.
 
By halftime, however, the Regents had pulled into a 28-28 tie.
 
The Vikings got out of the gate quickly in the second half and a Pezzopane basket with 14:49 left in the game gave the visitors a 42-34 lead to cap off a 14-6 run. Rockford outscored Augustana 9-1 over the next four and a half minutes to tie the game at 43-43 on a Katie Clark layup at 10:19.
 
A 13-7 run by the Regents gave them a 56-50 lead with 6:21 remaining but the Vikings clawed back and Pezzopane's basket with :29 left off an assist by freshman Olivia Mayer (Libertyville HS, Green Oaks, Ill.) tied things at 64-64. Augustana did have a chance to win it at the buzzer but a three-point field goal attempt by senior Molly Etheridge (Normal Community HS, Bloomington, Ill.) was off the mark.
 
In the overtime a conventional three-point play by Hicks put Augustana in front 69-66 in the early going. The Vikings also led by three (71-68) with 3:24 left after a basket by Mayer.
 
Down by four points (79-75) with less than 10 seconds to play, Augustana had a little life with three seconds left when Pezzopane was fouled while attempting a three-point field goal. She made all three free throws with just :03 showing on the clock to cut the margin to 79-78 but the Vikings couldn't get a steal on the inbound pass and Rockford's Erin Ryczek hit a pair of free throws with :02 left to account for the final margin.
 
Augustana had four players score in double digits with Baids leading the way with 17 to go with four rebounds, two steals, one assist and a blocked shot. Hicks had 16 points with six rebounds, six assists and four steals, Pezzopane added 14 points and nine rebounds while senior Chaney Tambling (Dwight HS, Dwight, Ill.) scored 13 points with a game-high 11 rebounds, four steals, one assist and one blocked shot.
 
With the loss the Vikings fall to 4-7 on the year while Rockford is now 5-6. The Regents were led in scoring by Lindsay Lengjak with 16 points.