Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana overcame an off shooting night Tuesday by taking great care of the ball and winning the battle of the boards on its way to a 75-54 win over Benedictine at Carver Center. Coach Mark Beinborn's outfit improved to 3-0 on the season, while the Eagles were playing their season opener.
 
Senior Victoria Allen (Eureka HS, Wildwood, Mo.) scored the game's first points with a basket a minute and a half in and Augustana would never trail. Benedictine's D'Asia Williams tied it with a field goal, but the Vikings scored the next seven points. Consecutive baskets by sophomore Alexis Jones (Marist HS, Chicago, Ill.) gave the hosts their biggest lead of the first half at 13-4, but the Eagles used a pair of conventional three-point plays by Allison Michalski to pull within 17-13 at the end of the quarter.
 
A Madison Fischer three pointer drew the visitors even at 19-all early in the second quarter, but junior Sadie Roberts (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) had a free throw and a field goal and freshman Justice Edell (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) added a basket to put Augustana back in front 24-19 midway through the period. Junior Clare Kramer (Prophetstown HS, Lyndon, Ill.) scored the Vikings' last seven points of the quarter and the hosts took a 31-26 lead to the locker room at halftime.
 
The margin bounced between three and eight points for the first seven minutes of the third quarter, but field goals by Kramer and Allen and a three-pointer by junior Meghan Stovall (Broomfield HS, Broomfield, Colo.) made it 53-40 Augustana. Fischer hit a trey with 39 seconds left that cut Benedictine's deficit to 53-43 after three quarters.
 
The Viking lead wouldn't dip below double digits the rest of the way. Stovall and junior Izzy Anderson (Alleman HS, Rock Island, Ill.) each scored four points in an 11-0 run that made it 66-45 with six minutes to play. The Eagles answered with seven straight points, but Stovall responded with a dagger of a three-pointer at the 3:43 mark. Anderson's two free throws with eight seconds left gave Augustana its biggest lead of the night (75-52) before Williams tallied an uncontested layup at the buzzer to account for the final.
 
The Vikings won with defense, rebounding and ball handing. They held Benedictine to .319 (22-69) shooting from the field and put the Eagles at the free throw line just four times all night. Augustana outrebounded its guests 50-44 and committed just five turnovers to overcome a .378 (28-74) shooting night of its own.
 
Anderson scored a game-high 16 points and got plenty of help from Stovall (14), Allen (13) and Kramer (13). Stovall snared a game-high 11 rebounds to complete a double-double and had three steals to share game high honors with junior Scooter Lopez (Mountain Vista HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.). Lopez also dished out a game-high six assists without committing a turnover.
 
Fischer led Benedictine with 11 points.
 
Beinborn's crew is back in action on Saturday, November 25, hosting Webster in a 1:00 p.m. matinee at Carver Center.