DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The Augustana Vikings earned a non-conference road victory on Wednesday over Dubuque, out-scoring the Spartans 71-66.
The Vikings were first on the board with a three-pointer from Carly Stone after 40 seconds of play and the two teams went back-and-forth in a high-scoring opening quarter before the Vikings earned a seven-point advantage through 10 minutes. Augie tallied 10 made field goals in the first, while holding the Spartans to five. The Vikings also had the advantage in rebounds with 15, while Dubuque had four. Augustana led 24-17 heading into the second quarter.
The Spartans inched closer at halftime, out-scoring the Vikings 16-14 in the second quarter. Dubuque pulled ahead after about six minutes in the quarter on a three-pointer, but Corey Whitlock sank a pair of shots from the charity line to reverse the lead back to Augustana. Free throw shots from Kadence Tatum secured the advantage for the Vikings entering halftime with a score of 38-33. Five of the team's 14 points came from the line, while the team grabbed 13 shots off the glass to maintain its rebounding advantage.
Returning to the court, Dubuque outscored the Vikings 17-15 after holding a plus-margin at the free-throw line. Augie out-shot the Spartans 46 percent to 33 percent, but Dubuque posted an extra made three and three additional free throws. A last-second basket from Corey Whitlock extended the score to 53-50 with 10 minutes to go.
The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth battle between both teams. The Vikings held a lead of as many as five, but the Spartans hung around and eventually claimed the lead at 61-60 with less than two minutes remaining. Moments later, Augustana broke a 63-63 tie with four straight free throws and fended off a late push from the home team to hang on for the five-point win.
Emma Berg was the top scorer for Augie with 15 points. Whitlock and Tatum were close behind with 12, while Whitlock also contributed eight rebounds, one assist, and two steals.
With the win, Augie improves to 5-4 on the season. The Vikings will host North Park on Saturday, December 9 in the Carver Center. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m.
