ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana women's basketball team earned their second consecutive conference victory on Sunday afternoon, dropping the Carroll Pioneers at home by a 67-64 final score.
The Vikings applied pressure early in the opening period, forcing seven Pioneer turnovers which converted to ten Augie points. Matayia Tellis generated three of her seven steals in the first, while also dropping in a basket late in the frame. Augie's bench highlighted a back-and-forth second quarter, contributing ten of the Vikings' 15 points. Entering the half, Augie led the Pioneers 33-24.
Carroll's offense came alive out of the locker room, upping their point margin by plus-16 in the second half. Augustana attempted a game-high 18 shots in the third frame, converting seven into makes. Emma Berg's impressive scoring night began to come together in the third period, converting all three of her shot attempts, including a pair of three-point makes. Carroll held a slight one-point advantage in the third to inch closer heading into the final frame. The visitors continued to close the gap, eventually making it a two-point contest with just over a minute remaining. The two teams traded empty possessions before a foul from the Pioneers with 16 seconds remaining sent Gabriela Loiz to the line. Loiz made one of her two attempts and the Viking defense held off two final looks from three by Carroll to escape with the 67-64 final.
Augustana's defense stifled the opposition from deep, holding the Pioneers to 0-12 from beyond the arc. Berg led the scoring effort for Augie, contributing 16 points to produce her second-best output of the season. All ten players that contributed minutes in Sunday's contest scored for the Vikings. Corey Whitlock also cracked double figures with 10 points.
With the victory, Augustana moves to 10-5 on the season and 4-2 in conference play. The Vikings will hit the road for a matchup with the Illinois Wesleyan Titans on January 14. Saturday's conference contest in Bloomington is set for 2:00 p.m. from the Shirk Center.
