ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The Augustana Vikings women's basketball team fell to Webster on Saturday by a score of 56-45 in the first battle of the two non-conference games in Missouri.
The Vikings were first to score in the matchup with a two-point jumper from Corey Whitlock after thirty seconds of play. Both teams were in a back-and-forth battle in the first quarter, with the score remaining within two for the second portion of the period until the last minute. Augie led with a percentage of 35.7 in field goals made, while the Gorlocks had 27.8 percent. Behind the arc, Augustana was ahead with 16.7 percent and Webster had 0.00 percent of their three-point shots made. Rebounds were also high for the Vikings, Augie snatched a total of 16 from the glass, 11 of them being defensively and five offensively, while the Gorlocks grabbed eight, three on the offensive side and five on the defensive side. After the first 10 minutes of play, the Vikings were down 15-12.
In the second, Augie held an advantage in free throws, knocking down 5-6 while Webster hit just 1-3. The two teams continued to play a back-and-forth contest, with the Gorloks holding a slight advantage to bring the score to 28-24 in their favor heading into halftime. Augie held Webster without a made three in the opening 20 minutes of action.
Returning to the court, Webster ran away with the lead ending the third with a margin of 20-5. The Augustana offense struggled with 12 turnovers, while Webster knocked down 60 percent of its looks.
In the last 10 minutes of the battle, Augie earned their highest point total of 16 points, while Webster only had eight. Augie grabbed the upper hand in field goals with 43.8 percent of made baskets, holding Webster to 33.3 percent. Augie was able to decrease the gap with their work in the fourth quarter, but were unable to catch up as the Gorloks took the game 56-45.
Paige Melton was the top scorer for the Vikings with 11 points, two assists, two steals and three rebounds.
Augie will be back Sunday, November 26 for a battle against the Fontbonne Griffins in the second non-conference game of the weekend in St. Louis, Mo.
Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
