Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana used a 21-14 advantage in the fourth quarter to spearhead a 62-55 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin win over North Park on Saturday, January 30 in the Carver Center. The two teams in the CCIW with the nickname "Vkings" were deadlocked at 41 apiece heading into the final stanza but the home team used a 9-2 run to close out the game and capture the victory.
 
North Park tied the game 53-53 on a basket by Amani Davis with 2:45 left when Augustana put on its final surge. Junior Mikayla Fallon (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) scored on a baseline jumper with 2:21 left to give the Vikings a 55-53. After a North Park turnover it was senior Marissa Pezzopane's (Addison Trail HS, Wood Dale, Ill.) turn to stand in the limelight.
 
Pezzopane, who was honored before the game for becoming just the 10^th player in Augustana history to score 1,000 career points, scored at 1:37 to make it 57-53. Davis added two free throws at 1:24 to bring North Park to within two (57-55). Those would be the final points for the visitors, however.
 
Sophomore Victoria Allen (Eureka HS, Wildwood, Mo.) nailed a basket at 1:03 after Davis' free throws to bump the Augustana margin to 59-55. Junior Kaycee Kallenberger (Pleasant Valley HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) corralled a key defensive rebound off a missed shot by North Park's Nicole Kruckman with :49 left and got the ball into the hands of junior Olivia Mayer (Libertyville HS, Green Oaks, Ill.). Mayer was fouled and made one of two free throws at the :41 mark to make it a five point game (60-55). Allen iced the game with :27 left with a pair of free throws.
 
Augustana led after one quarter 22-17 and held a two-point edge (32-30) at halftime. North Park outscored the home club 11-9 in a slow-paced third period to make it 41-41 heading into the fourth, and deciding, stanza.
 
North Park led by four (51-47) with 5:07 left in the game but Augustana outscored its guests 15-4 from that point on.
 
Pezzopane led all scorers with 21 points while Kallenberger chipped in with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. She also blocked four shots. Augustana held a huge 45-31 edge in the rebounding department. Mayer contributed six assists and Allen four while Mayer had three steals.
 
North Park got 16 points and eight rebounds from Kruckman while Liz Rehberger scored 14.
 
Augustana is now 9-11 overall and 4-5 in the CCIW while North Park dropped to 14-6 and 5-4. Head coach Mark Beinborn's Augustana team will host North Central on Wednesday, February 3 at 7:00 p.m. in the Carver Center.