WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. -- The Augustana Vikings women's basketball team picked up a 78-44 victory in their second game of the Titan Holiday Classic on Saturday versus the Concordia-Chicago Cougars.
Augie quickly got on the board after a jumper by Kadence Tatum 15 seconds into the first quarter but the Cougars followed with three points to take a slight advantage. Cali Papez switched the upper hand back to the Vikings' favor with a pair of free throws and the team followed with five more points to create a six-point gap. Concordia evened the score at 9-9 with 3:56 remaining but Augie closed out the quarter with eight consecutive points to lead 17-9 after 10 minutes of action.
Papez kicked off the second quarter with a jumper in the paint to stretch the difference out to double-digits. The Vikings maintained their offensive momentum and Tia Lewis created the largest gap of the quarter with a set of free throws to make a 31-17 score with a little under four minutes left in the half. The Cougars held a slight advantage in the final minutes of the quarter, but Augie held a 13-point advantage with a 39-26 score heading into halftime. Augie shot 50 percent from behind the three-point line through the first 20 minutes, hitting five of its 10 attempts.
Returning to the court, Augie out-scored Concordia 20-9 in the third to move the differential out to 24 entering the final period. At 8:27, Augie began a 17-0 scoring run while keeping the Cougars scoreless until the 1:36 mark. In the fourth, the Vikings' defense continued to shine, holding Concordia under 10 points in a frame for the third time in the game. The team posted its seconds straight double-digit advantage in the frame alone to extend the margin and take the 32-point victory. The Cougars shot just 23 percent in the fourth and were held without a made three.
Three Vikings reached double figures in scoring. Tatum finished with 13 points, five rebounds, and eight assists. Papez notched her first double-double of the year with 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Emma Berg connected on five three-pointers to finish with a team-high 16 points.
With the win, Augustana improves to 5-7 on the season. The team will resume CCIW action on January 8 at No. 3 Illinois Wesleyan.
