LISLE, Ill. – Benedictine used a strong inside game and limited Augustana to .304 shooting from the field Friday to post a 71-66 win in both teams' season opener at the Rice Center. Coach Mark Beinborn's

squad, which plays its first five contests on the road, will be back in action on Tuesday, November 13 versus 13th-ranked DePauw in Greencastle, Indiana.
 
There were six lead changes in the first seven and a half minutes. Scooter Lopez's (Mountain Vista HS, Highlands Ranch, Ill.) layup with 2:37 left in the first quarter gave the Vikings their last lead at 12-10. The second of back-to-back Claire Gibler buckets gave the Eagles a 14-12 lead and they wouldn't trail again. A Carly McCameron (Antioch HS, Antioch, Ill.) layup pulled Augustana to within 15-14 at the end of the first period.
 
Alexis Jones' (Marist HS, Chicago, Ill.) layup at 8:03 of the second quarter forged one final tie at 18-all, but Benedictine answered with a 10-2 run to take its biggest lead of the night at 28-20. Alex Fanning's layup just before the halftime buzzer sent the teams to the locker room with the Eagles on top 36-30.
 
The Vikings forced nine turnovers and made nine of 10 free throws in the third quarter, but could trim just three points off the deficit, due in part to Benedictine's .818 field goal shooting in the period. Lopez's three-pointer at the 6:14 mark drew Augustana to within 42-41, but the Eagles again responded. Two Izzy Anderson (Alleman HS, Rock Island, Ill.) free throws eventually made it 56-53 Benedictine after three.
 
The visitors stayed within striking distance and two Clare Kramer (Prophetstown HS, Lyndon, Ill.) free throws with 6:50 to play pulled them to within a point at 60-59. However on the ensuing possession, D'Asia Williams drove the left side for a layup, drawing Jones' fourth foul in the process. Williams missed her free throw, but Allison Michalski was there to follow it in and put Benedictine up 64-59. Michalski added a layup 30 seconds later to push the margin to seven. Despite Augustana cutting the deficit to two on two occasions, the hosts were able to hold on the rest of the way.
 
Anderson finished with a game-high 19 points, along with five steals. Jones added 13 points and led the Vikings with eight rebounds and seven steals. Lopez had 10 points and five steals as well.
 
Beinborn's bunch forced 25 Eagle turnovers while committing just 11, but connected on only 21 of 69 field goal attempts and was outrebounded 43-38. Augustana hit five of 19 (.263) three-point attempts and 19 of 24 (.792) free throws.
 
Michalski, with 19 points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes and Fanning, with 15 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots in 21 minutes, dominated inside. The pair combined to shoot 12 of 21 from the field and 10 of 12 from the foul line. Benedictine finished 25 of 51 (.490) from the floor, five of 13 (.385) from beyond the arc and 16 of 25 (.640) from the free throw line.