Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Career scoring highs from senior Victoria Allen (Eureka HS, Wildwood, Mo.) and juniors Scooter Lopez (Mountain Vista HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Sadie Roberts (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) helped lift Augustana to a pulsating 93-86 win over Elmhurst on Wednesday, February 7. The win in the Carver Center helped put the Vikings back in the hunt for one of four spots in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Tournament in three weeks.
 
When leading scorer Izzy Anderson (Alleman Catholic HS, Rock Island, Ill.) went down with an injury just near the midway point of the first half the Vikings did not miss a beat. Allen was nearly unstoppable in the lane and on drives to the basket and she ended the night with her highest point production with 28 points. She was seven of 12 from the field, one of two from three point range and drained 13 of 15 free throws. She had four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
 
Lopez dropped 22 points on the Bluejays and she was six of nine from the floor, including four of four from three point range, and was six of six from the free throw line.  She had four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Roberts had 18 points on eight of 15 from the field and two of two from the free throw line. She grabbed four rebounds and had two steals and one assist.
 
Those three handled the bulk of the scoring for head coach Mark Beinborn's team but a huge boost also came from sophomore Alexis Jones (Marist HS, Chicago, Ill.). Jones pulled down a career high 13 rebounds and scored 15 points. She hit on four of seven from the field and seven of 10 from the charity stripe while collecting one assist, one blocked shot and one steal. Jones' work on the boards helped Augustana forge a 40-34 edge in rebounding.
 
The Bluejays led 27-24 at the end of the first quarter but Roberts beat the second quarter buzzer with a basket that gave Augustana a 47-43 lead at intermission. In the third quarter Lopez hit three of her four three pointers and the Vikings roared out to a nine point advantage (70-61) at the end of three quarters.
 
In the fourth quarter Augustana took a 13 point lead (74-61) early in the frame and with 2:07 left the margin was still in double digits (86-76) after a basket by Allen. Elmhurst cut the lead to five on three separate occasions but each time the Vikings answered at the free throw line.
 
With :48 the Bluejays Lisa Logan scored to make it 87-82 but Roberts hit two with :28 left to make it 89-82. A basket by Elmhurst's Mikaela Eppard, who would finish with a game high 31 points, cut it back to five (89-84) with :18 to play but Lopez calmly drained both free throws to make it 91-84. Logan scored with ;10 to make it five again (91-86) but Lopez was perfect on her two charity tosses to account for the final score of 93-86.
 
Augustana was red-hot in the first half, shooting .594 (19-32) from the field but Elmhurst matched the Vikings with a .593 percentage (16-27).
 
Eppard led the visitors in scoring with 31 points and she also pulled down 10 rebounds. Kaela Jones scored 13 points while Georgia Garvie had 13 and Logan tallied 12.
 
The Vikings, who now have two wins over Elmhurst and would hold the tie-breaker against the Bluejays for the fourth and final spot in the CCIW Tournament, are 13-9 overall and 6-7 in league play. Elmhurst is 12-10 and 8-5. Augustana will be in action again on Saturday, February 10 at Millikin.