WAUKESHA, Wis. – The Augustana women's basketball team traveled to Wisconsin on Saturday for a conference clash against the Carroll Pioneers, falling by a 78-73 score.
The Vikings came out strong in the first period, with Macy Beinborn leading the team to an early 11-4 lead with three 3-point makes. Augie extended their lead to plus-12 by the end of the frame. Carroll clamped down on defense, eventually tying the game midway through the second quarter with a 15-6 run. Another Beinborn three halted the Pioneers' momentum as the Vikings entered the locker room with a seven-point advantage.
Carroll again tied the score midway through the third, this time at 47 points apiece. Beinborn cashed one of her ten triples with just under two minutes remaining to silence the crowd temporarily, but the Pioneers forged ahead to a 59-52 lead by the end of the period, outscoring the Vikings 25-11 in the eight minutes following the half. The Pioneers' lead grew to double figures in the fourth, but the Vikings continued to ride the hot hand of Beinborn, who scored 16 points in the period alone. Augie trimmed the Pioneers' lead to just four points with 59 seconds left but was forced to foul, with Carroll holding the time advantage. The Pioneers held a 30-12 attempt advantage from the charity stripe in the contest and with 33 seconds left, completed a successful trip to the line to help close the game with a 78-73 victory.
Beinborn's brilliance in the loss earned her two spots in the Augie record book. Her 37 points are now tied for most points scored in a single game with Mary McGivern's effort against Wartburg on March 3, 1989, and Izzy Anderson's performance against UW-Whitewater on November 28, 2018. Beinborn's 10 three-point makes also surpassed the previous record of eight made three-pointers in a single game, formerly held by herself against Carroll on February 27, 2021, and Lauren Hall against Carthage on February 15, 2020.
Gabriela Loiz was the other Viking to reach double figures, scoring 13 points. With six dishes each, Loiz and Presley Case paced Augie in assists. Beinborn and Cali Papez led the way with five rebounds apiece.
With the loss, Augustana moves to 15-8 overall, 9-5 in conference play. The Vikings are tied with Wheaton for third place in the CCIW, but hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Thunder. The Vikings will face North Central at home on Wednesday, February 15, for a critical conference contest. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. from the Roy J. Carver Center.
