Box Score

DUBUQUE, Iowa – Kelsey Tietje scored 16 first-quarter points Wednesday as Defiance bolted to a 23-10 lead and cruised to a 63-56 win over Augustana at the University of Dubuque's Jon Davison Classic. The Vikings will head into Saturday's CCIW opener versus Wheaton with a 5-6 record, while the Yellow Jackets improved to 2-8.
 
Tietje was the story early. The 6' 3" junior hit seven of eight field goal attempts and two of three free throws in the first quarter. She scored the game's first basket less than a minute in and Eric Smay followed with a three-pointer on Defiance's next possession and the Yellow Jackets never trailed. A Tietje basket with 3:28 left in the period pushed the margin to double digits for the first time at 18-8 and her conventional three-point play a minute later made it 23-8. Freshman Carly McCameron's (Antioch HS, Antioch, Ill.) lay-in got Augustana to within 23-10 at the quarter break.
 
Tietje finished the first half with 19 points as Defiance took a 34-17 lead to the locker room.
 
The Vikings had no luck whittling down the margin until late in the game. The Yellow Jackets led 46-28 after three quarters. After Sam Ervin gave Defiance its biggest lead of the afternoon (50-30) early in the fourth, senior Marissa Pezzopane (Addison Trail HS, Wood Dale, Ill.) dropped a dozen points as Augustana went on a 21-9 run to get within eight points with a minute to play. With six seconds left, Jen VanWatermeulen (United Township HS, Silvis, Ill.) hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 62-56—the closest the Vikings had been since three and a half minutes in. Ervin split two free throw attempts to account for the final.
 
Tietje finished with game highs of 25 points and 15 rebounds. Pezzopane led Augustana with 21 points  and nine boards. Junior Olivia Mayer (Libertyville HS, Green Oaks, Ill.) was the only other Viking in double figures, finishing with 10.
 
Coach Mark Beinborn's team hit just 22 of 71 (.310) field goal attempts, including two of 15 (.133) from long range. Pezzopane and Mayer were each four-of-four as Augustana converted 10 of 11 (.909) free throw attempts. The Yellow Jackets hit .435 (20 of 46) from the floor, three of 10 (.300) from beyond the arc and 20 of 35 (.571) from the foul line. The Vikings outrebounded Defiance 47-36 and each team committed 15 turnovers.
 
Augustana is back at Carver Center on Saturday, January 2, hosting Wheaton, with tipoff scheduled for 5:00 p.m.