ROCK ISLAND -- Gabriela Loiz scored a season-best 27 points and grabbed her 1,000th career points on Wednesday as the Augustana Vikings women's basketball team defeated the North Central Cardinals at home by a final of 83--57.
The Vikings used a fast start to leap to a 23-5 advantage midway through the opening frame, highlighted by a 12-point effort from Loiz. Loiz's two-point jumper with four minutes to go in the first saw her eclipse 1,000 career points in an Augustana uniform. The Cardinals responded with a 10-4 scoring run of their own to cut the deficit to 12 by the period's conclusion. Augie's defense held North Central to nine points on 3-15 shooting in the second frame while producing 26 points of their own to enter the locker room up 53-24. The Vikings also controlled the glass through 20 minutes, posting a 30-9 advantage on the glass through two quarters.
After Loiz's basket to open the third period, Augie enjoyed their largest advantage of the game by 31 points. The Cardinals' defense anchored down the rest of the quarter, holding Augie to just 15 points as they trimmed the deficit to 23 heading into the fourth. The two teams again battled closely in the fourth period, with Augie narrowly edging North Central by a 15-12 scoring margin. With just over a minute remaining, the Vikings looked to their bench to close out the contest by a final score of 83-57.
Loiz grabbed five rebounds and two steals to go with her game-high 27 points, while four other Vikings hit double figures in scoring as well. Carly Stone with 13 points and Cali Papez with 10 both secured double-doubles, each hauling in 10 rebounds apiece, while Emma Berg and Corey Whitlock added 12 and 10 points, respectively. Augie out-rebounded the Cardinals by a 52-28 margin, including 19-1 on the offensive glass.
With the victory, Augustana improves to 16-8 overall and 10-5 in the conference. The Vikings firmly remain in third place in the CCIW with the win. The team will stay home on Saturday, February 18, when they face North Park on Senior Night. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. from the Carver Center.
