DUBUQUE, Iowa – Augustana women's basketball earned their first victory of the season on Friday, besting the Simpson Storm by a 74-62 score in their first match of the Loras Tip-Off Classic.
The Vikings saw a high volume of shots in the opening quarter with 22 but struggled to get it going offensively. Simpson ended the period up by a score of 12-11.
A two-point jumper from Emily Brenneisen in the opening possession of the second period gave the Vikings the lead for good, kickstarting a 15-2 run in favor of the Vikings. During that stretch, Macy Beinborn dumped in a trio of shots from deep, while her teammate Kadence Tatum contributed another three points, converting an and-one at the 8:01 mark.
Simpson responded as the end of the second period drew near, draining a three-pointer and converting an and-one of their own. The Vikings then proceeded to close out the half with another favorable 10-2 run, featuring a collection of scores from Gabriela Loiz and Carly Stone. The Vikings led the Storm 38-24 at the half, with Beinborn leading the charge with 12 points heading into the locker room.
Augie opened the floodgates out of the half, outscoring the Storm 20-9 and putting the Vikings ahead 58-33 entering the final period. Beinborn continued to pace the Vikings, draining three additional shots from beyond the arc, giving her seven total in the contest.
The fourth period started on a high note for Augie, but endured a late-game run from the Storm. Simpson's comeback attempt proved futile, and the Vikings closed the game with a 74-62 score.
The Vikings had three scorers eclipse double figures, led by Beinborn's 25-point performance. Gabriela Loiz and Cali Papez contributed respective point totals of 12 and 10. Presley Case snagged a game-high 11 boards for the Vikings and was tailed closely by Loiz, who registered nine of her own. Augie was efficient at the charity stripe, converting seven of their nine attempts for 77.8% total.
Augie's next match of the Tip-Off Classic comes tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. against host Loras. Live video and stat links can be found here.
