Box Score

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Sophomore Jen VanWatermeulen (United Township HS, Silvis, Ill.) scored 13 of her game-high 16 points in the second half Saturday to lead Augustana to a 60-59 win over Webster at Grant Gymnasium. Coach Mark Beinborn's Vikings improve to 2-3 on the year, while the Gorloks fall to 4-2.
 
Webster had its biggest lead of the game at 38-30 with 17 minutes to play, when VanWatermeulen and junior Andrea McNally (Hinsdale South HS, Burr Ridge, Ill.) helped fuel an Augustana rally. Sophomore Katie Villa (Craig HS, Janesville, Wis.) hit a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 38-32 with 16:53 left before Van Watermeulen scored eight straight points to give the Vikings the lead. She hit back-to-back three-pointers to tie it at 38-all with 15:47 remaining and then put back her own miss following a steal to give her team a 40-38 lead. McNally added a bucket to complete a 12-0 run that put Augustana on top 42-38.
 
After the Gorloks went back ahead with five straight points, a McNally deuce and a VanWatermeulen trey took the lead right back for the Vikings. It continued to bounce back-and-forth until a Kayla Freeman (Nazareth Academy, Chicago, Ill.) three-pointer with 2:59 left gave Augustana the lead for good. McNally followed with a conventional three-point play for a 56-52 advantage.
 
Freshman Victoria Allen (Eureka HS, Wildwood, Mo.) split a pair of free throws and added a field goal in the final minute and a half. Her bucket was set up by a big McNally offensive rebound of a missed Viking free throw. McNally split two freebies with seven seconds left to put Augustana up 60-56 and make a trey at the buzzer by Webster's Mia Williams inconsequential.
 
The Gorloks hit five of seven first-half three-point attempts as well as nine of 10 free throws in taking a 34-30 advantage to the locker room at halftime.
 
McNally matched VanWatermeulen's game-high 16 points and added game highs of 10 rebounds and seven assists. Van Watermeulen hit four of seven trey attempts and also had three rebounds and three steals. Villa finished with six points, five boards and a game-high four steals in 26 minutes, filling in for foul-plagued Marissa Pezzopane (Addison Trail HS, Wood Dale, Ill.). The Vikings' leading scorer on the year, Pezzopane had eight points and three rebounds in just 13 minutes before fouling out.
 
Augustana finished 22 of 65 (.338) from the field, eight of 27 (.296) from beyond the arc and just eight of 19 (.421) at the free throw line, but held Webster to just .306 (15 of 49) shooting from the floor for the game and just one of four from long range after halftime. The Gorloks had a 43-42 edge on the glass, but committed 22 turnovers to 16 for the Vikings.
 
Beinborn's club will have two weeks off before playing its next game at Central in Pella, Iowa on Saturday, December 13. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.