Strong starts to both halves, the use of the three-ball, and drawing fouls allowed Augustana (S.D.) University to overpower the University of Minnesota Duluth. 

The Vikings (16-6; 11-4 NSIC) shot a cool 11-of-21 (52.4 percent) from beyond the arc, compared to the Bulldogs (11-8; 9-6 NSIC) 4-of-19 (21.1 percent).

Augustana used a strong first quarter led by junior center Naomi Rust. Rust made three early baskets to help the Vikings jump out to a 21-13 lead after the first. Junior guard Allie Koehn provided just what Augustana ordered coming off the bench, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range and going 2-for-2 at the charity line for 14 points in as many minutes of work. The Bulldogs were able to close the gap to 31-26 at the half thanks in large part to a dismal 3-of-18 shooting performance from the Vikings in the second quarter. 

After pulling within four points late in the third, Augustana took off on a 12-0 run in the final three minutes to take a comfortable 55-39 lead. Freshman forward Josie Buckley had a strong fourth quarter for the Bulldogs corralling six points, three rebounds, and a pair of assists. Buckley finished with 10 points and six boards. Senior forward Taylor Meyer finished with a team-high 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including going 5-for-5 at the line. Collectively, UMD finished 9-for-10 at the free-throw line, compared to 12-for-23 for Augustana. 

On a lighter note, Meyer was honored with a game-ball before the game for becoming the 20th player in UMD program history to reach the 1,000 point club. 

UMD will have to go through a strong Wayne State College (15-5; 10-5 NSIC) team on Saturday (Jan. 28) in order to turn things around. Tip-off will be at 4 p.m. The Wildcats are coming off a 75-63 win over the St. Cloud State Huskies, and have won 10 of their last 12 games by an average 12.6 points.