Box Score

PELLA, Iowa – Augustana jumped in front by 10 points after the first quarter Saturday and closed the game on a 24-12 run to improve to 9-0 on the year with an 81-59 win at Central. The host Dutch lost for just the second time in nine outings this season. The Viking win sets up a showdown with undefeated and 16th-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater Tuesday, December 20 at Carver Center.
 
Claire Marburger scored twice in the first minute to put the hosts up 4-0 and Emily Dine's three-pointer at the 4:48 mark of the first quarter gave Central an 11-7 lead. After Augustana tied it at 11-all, Abbie Agan scored to give the Dutch one final lead of the afternoon at 13-11. Junior Victoria Allen (Eureka HS, Wildwood, Mo.) answered with back-to-back three-pointers, sparking a 12-0 Viking run to finish the period. Sophomore Corrie Reiley (Prophetstown HS, Prophetstown, Ill.) capped it off with a steal and layup just before the buzzer.
 
The lead continued to grow in the second period. Reiley's layup at the 2:38 mark pushed the margin to 41-21 before Central scored five of the last six points to trail 42-26 at the break.
 
Layups by seniors Olivia Mayer (Libertyville HS, Green Oaks, Ill.) and Jen VanWatermeulen (United Township HS, Silvis, Ill.) quickly bumped the advantage back to 20 (46-26) early in the third quarter and it was still 20 (51-31) after a Mikayla Fallon (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) three-pointer at the 6:07 mark of the third.
 
However, over the next eight minutes, Central would go on a 16-6 run to trim the deficit to its smallest since the end of the first quarter. Dine and Marburger each scored five in the spurt, capped by a Marburger conventional three-point play with 7:51 left that drew the Dutch to within 57-47.
 
Behind five from senior Kaycee Kallenberger (Pleasant Valley HS, Bettendorf, Iowa), Augustana answered with nine straight points to go up 66-47. Marburger scored nine consecutive Central points and an Alison Malaby layup cut the deficit to a dozen (70-58) with 2:29 to play, but the Vikings hit six straight free throws down the stretch to keep the game well in hand.
 
Kallenberger and sophomore Izzy Anderson (Alleman HS, Rock Island, Ill.) paced a balanced Augustana attack with 13 points each. Kallenberger also had seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Allen, with 11 points and Fallon, with 10, finished in double figures as well and the pair combined to hit five of seven three-point attempts. Sophomore Carly McCameron (Antioch HS, Antioch, Ill.), seeing her first action in two weeks, put in a solid 15 minutes off the bench with six points, six rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals. Marburger had game highs of 25 points and nine rebounds, but the Vikings held her to 10-of-27 shooting from the field.
 
For the game, Augustana shot .446 from the field on 25 of 56. The Vikings were seven of 21 (.333) from beyond the arc and converted 24 of 31 (.774) free throw attempts. The Dutch finished 22 of 60 (.367) from the floor, four of 14 (.286) from long range and 11 of 18 (.611) at the foul line. Augustana had a 40-33 advantage on the boards and committed 17 turnovers to 22 for Central.
 
Beinborn's club now hosts 8-0 UW-Whitewater Tuesday with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m.