ROCK ISLAND -- Paige Melton scored a career-high 31 points on 11-12 shooting Wednesday night to lift the Augustana women's basketball team to an 80-72 conference-opening victory over the Elmhurst Bluejays.
Augie scored the first four points of the game while holding the Bluejays scoreless through three minutes, but four straight free throws from the visitors brought the game back to a tie halfway through the first. Both teams drew even three additional times, but a pair of baskets by Melton and Emma Berg snatched back the four-point lead. With three seconds left in the first quarter, Melton notched a layup to move the advantage to six and make it a 22-16 score after 10 minutes of play.
In the second, the Vikings outscored the Bluejays 22-16 for the second straight period, with nine of Augie's points coming from the free throw line. Augie kicked off the quarter with a six-point run with Tia Lewis increasing the difference to 12 after a step-back shot to move the score to 28-16. The Vikings got up as many as 14 from Elmhurst on four different occasions and Dolly Smith closed out the half with two free throws to bring the score to 44-32 at the break. Augie grabbed 23 shots off the glass, holding the Bluejays to 19. Melton led the team with 15 points after 20 minutes of action and Berg followed with 10.
Augie's advantage grew to 19 early in the second half after the Vikings collected six points in the first two minutes and held Elmhurst to zero. Kadence Tatum secured the largest lead of the game at 19 after a three-pointer around the seven-minute mark, but the Bluejays' pressure allowed them to make a big run to close out the quarter and tie the game up entering the fourth. Elmhurst ended the final six minutes on a 20-4 run.
Elmhurst grabbed its first lead of the game with the first points of the fourth quarter and the two teams alternated baskets through the first two-plus minutes. After earning the lead back on a Lewis layup, the Vikings went up by six a few possessions later on a pair of free throws from Smith. A three-point from the Bluejays with 4:35 to go shrunk the gap back down to just two points, but Augie answered with two straight baskets by Melton. Tatum closed out the game with the final four points for the team to complete the 80-72 win.
Four different Vikings collected double-digit points in the win. Melton was the top scorer with a career-high 31 points to go with eight rebounds, while Tatum followed with 14. Lewis added 11 and Berg had 10.
With the win, Augie moves to 3-4 on the season and 1-0 in CCIW play. The team will hit the road for the first time in four weeks for a conference matchup against North Central Saturday, December 7.
