BOX SCORE

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana shot 46.3 percent from the floor and had four score in double figures en route to charting a 78-58 Northern Sun Intercollegiate victory over Southwest Minnesota State Friday night Sioux Falls, S.D.

Augie improves to 14-3 (8-2 NSIC); SMSU falls to 11-6 (5-5 NSIC).

Faith Tinklenberg and Krisit Board paced the Vikings with 14 points apiece. Megan Doyle and Alex Feeney rounded out Augie's quartet of double-figure scorers with 13 points each.

SMSU was led by Tori Fink's game-high 17 points. Fink was questionable entering Friday's contest as she had sat in the Mustangs' previous contest with an injury.

Megan Stadler also finished with a season-high 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field. The senior point guard also dished out four assists, moving her into sole possession of the No. 3 spot in career assists at SMSU with 405. She entered the game tied with Dani Coleman's mark of 401 career assists.

Laura Kramer grabbed a team-high eight rebounds for SMSU.

While SMSU started the contest with a cold shooting performance, Augie opened by going on a 10-2 run that quickly grew into a comfortable advantage for the Vikings. By the 8 minute, 31 seconds mark, Augie held a 17-point lead at 25-8.

The Viking lead sat at 30-10 with less than five minutes left in the half, but the Mustangs managed to chip away at the 20-point difference. A 3-pointer from Landi Hunziker and basket from Kramer trimmed the deficit to 12 points twice. The Mustangs got a last-second jumper from Fink to give SMSU a manageable 11-point to work from heading into the break.

Augie was 6-of-16 from behind the arc in the first half—getting a pair of deep balls from Tinklenberg.

SMSU struggled to get its offense going, connecting on just 10-of-40 of its field goals for a 25 percent clip.

Taylor Voss moved the Mustangs to a single-digit deficit when she drained a 3-pointer to cut the Augie lead to 40-33 early in the second half. However, quick Back-to-back three pointers from the Vikings brought their lead back to double-figures.

Stadler again got the Mustangs within seven points when she canned a jumper from the right wing to make it a 55-48 contest. A free throw from Kenealy with just under seven minutes to got her squad to within six.

Stadler was responsible for getting the Mustangs to within five points when she hit a three-pointer with 5:46 left trim the Viking lead to 60-55.

The Vikings seemed to have an answer for all of SMSU's ensuing attempts to further close the gap.  Augie relied on 3-pointers from Board and Feeney in the game's final four minutes to keep its lead in double digits.  Those two 3-pointers were part of a 14-2 run by the Vikings to close the contest.

SMSU took care of the ball relatively well in the contest, tallying just 10 turnovers.  Augie managed to turn the minimal turnover output by the Mustangs into 12 points.  The Vikings also added 21 point in transition.

SMSU continues this weekend conference road set tomorrow at Wayne State at 4 p.m.