Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana senior Marissa Pezzopane (Addison Trail HS, Wood Dale, Ill.) recorded a career milestone in Augustana's 65-59 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin women's basketball victory over Millikin on Saturday, January 23 in the Carver Center. Pezzopane became just the 10^th player in Viking history to pass the 1,000 career point plateau.
 
She entered the game needing eight points to hit 1,000 and she did it midway through the second quarter when she gathered in an offensive rebound off of a missed three-point field goal attempt by junior Jennifer VanWatermeulen (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) and laid it in. That basket, which came with 4:07 left in the second quarter, gave Augustana a 28-21 lead and put Pezzopane squarely at 1,000 for her career. She would go on to lead the team on the night with 14 points and she also contributed six rebounds and a blocked shot in just 19 minutes of action.
 
The Vikings led 18-14 after one quarter and 37-26 at halftime. That halftime lead took a beating in the third quarter, however, as Millikin went on a 10-1 run to open things up. That sliced the margin to two points (38-26) with 5:10 left in the stanza. Senior Andrea McNally (Hinsdale South HS, Burr Ridge, Ill.) stopped the run with a single free throw to make it 39-36 at the 4:45 mark. McNally was playing for the first time in several weeks after being sidelined due to an illness and she had three points and three rebounds in seven minutes of action.
 
The Vikings finished the quarter on a 12-7 run and were up by seven (50-43) heading into the fourth. Millikin tied the game with 6:20 left to play on a basket by Emily Schultz but freshman Corrie Reiley (Prophetstown HS, Prophetstown, Ill.) answered with a three point field goal at 5:25 to push the margin up to three (56-53).
 
The Big Blue got it back to one point (60-59) with 1:40 left after a basket by Schultz but freshman Izzy Anderson (Rock Island Alleman HS, Rock Island, Ill.) scored a basket with :40 left to make it a three point cushion (52-59). A single free by sophomore Victoria Allen (Eureka HS, Wildwood, Mo.) and two more charity tosses by junior Kaycee Kallenberger (Pleasant Valley HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) accounted for the final score of 65-59.
 
Besides Pezzopane's 14 points, junior guard Olivia Mayer (Libertyville HS, Green Oaks, Ill.) had 11 and Anderson contributed 10. The Vikings enjoyed a 49-35 advantage in rebounding with Kallenberger pulling down 12 while also blocking three shots.
 
Millikin was led in scoring by Schultz with 20 points.
 
Augustana is now 8-10 overall and 3-4 in the CCIW while Millikin fell to 7-11 and 0-7. The Vikings will travel to Elmhurst on Wednesday, January 27 to face the Bluejays in a 7:00 p.m. contest.