Defending national champion MSU-Mankato sweeps basketball bills at Augustana

On December 8, 2024By Online Niel

SIOUX FALLS, SD (Dakota News Now) – WOMAN’S RECOVERY

Despite a career high performance from Payton HardyAugustana women’s basketball fell to No. 16 Minnesota State, 96-70, at the Sanford Pentagon on Saturday afternoon.

The Vikings fall to 1-7 overall and 0-3 in conference play, while the Mavericks improve to 7-2 overall with a perfect 3-0 NSIC record.

Hardy led the way in scoring for AU with a career-best 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field to go along with five rebounds, two steals and a block. Olivia Hayenga joined with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds as Brinlee McRae added in 10 points, including two 3-pointers, and Hannah Burg dished out six assists with three steals.

Augustana shot 44.1 percent from the field with 34 rebounds and 19 assists while forcing 19 turnovers for the Mavericks.

The Vikings struck first to start the game and eventually took an 8-4 lead on a layup from CJ Adamson. Minnesota State came back with a 9-2 run and immediately followed that with 10 straight points. Hardy broke the deadlock for AU with her spike, but the visitors would take a 25-14 lead into quarter time.

Augustana continued to shoot 52.6 percent from the floor in the second quarter, holding the Mavericks to just 21.7 percent shooting as Hardy hit a jumper and McRae nailed a 3-pointer in open action. The Vikings then scored seven in a row to tie the game at one. A back-and-forth battle ensued, and McRae’s layup tied the game at 34. A Maverick layup regained control, but McRae hit another triple with 33 seconds left to take a 37-36 lead into the locker room.

Despite the fight from the Vikings, Minnesota State came out of the break and immediately lit up the floor. A 15-2 run swung the momentum in favor of the visitors as the Mavericks scored 32 points in the third quarter alone. Kaz ParksHayenga, McRae and Hardy would all hit shots, but Minnesota State would go up 68-46 late in the third.

The Mavericks continued to push, answering every basket the Vikings made in an attempt to close the gap, eventually taking the game, 96-70.

Next
Augustana will face its first two conference road contests of the season with games against Minnesota Duluth on Friday and Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday. The tip offs are set for 17:30 and 15:30 respectively.

RECOVERY OF MEN

The Minnesota State Mavericks made a layup with three seconds left to outlast the Augustana men’s team 71-70 on Saturday night at the Sanford Pentagon.

The Vikings fall to 3-6 overall and 0-3 in the NSIC, while the Mavericks jump to 6-4, 2-0.

At the third consecutive start, Bennett Fried had a career night. The redshirt freshman scored 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out a pair of assists. Tanner Te Slaa added 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Sam Rensch he also contributed in different ways, scoring 10 points while tallying seven rebounds and four assists. Akoi Akoi he nearly recorded a double-double, pouring in nine points and nine rebounds. Malyk Rebetez led the team with five assists in a career-high 22 minutes.

In the first 5:03 of the game, each team scored four points before the offense registered. The next five minutes were a lot of offense, with the Vikings shooting 6-of-8 from the field and the Mavericks going 3-of-5 as AU jumped out to a 16-14 lead.

A Rensch dunk was the only basket for the next 2+ minutes before a Conner Kraft The 3-pointer gave the Vikings a seven-point lead at 21-14. Seven of the 21 points in the opening stages came from Kraft, whose eight points off the bench were a career-best.

After an MSU layup ended the run, Rensch converted on an and-one to extend AU’s lead to 24-16. The Mavericks came back with the next nine points for a lead over a Tameron Ferguson The 3-pointer ended it and put the Vikings back in front 27-25 with 4:40 left in the first half.

The Vikings went two-for-three on their next four possessions to knot the game at 31-31, and the Mavericks closed the half with a 6-2 run to give them a 37-33 halftime lead.

MSU’s run continued in the early stages of the second half as they scored the first six points to take a double-digit lead. AU continued to rebound, shooting seven of 10 over the next 5:33 of playing time to mount a 17-6 run and regain the lead at 50-49 with 11:34 remaining.

An 8-4 Maverick run swung the game back in MSU’s favor, but a Te Slaa layup and Fried 3-pointer sandwiched a Maverick jumper to tie the game at 59-59 with 7:05 to play. The Mavericks continued to miss a pair at the free throw line and Fried hit another 3-pointer for the lead.

Five straight points put MSU back up by two, and Te Slaa hit a 3-pointer to end the mini run and put the Vikings ahead 65-64 with 4:31 left. The Mavericks came right back to take a two-point lead with 2:19 left.

With 1:57 to play, Akoi hit a 3-pointer to put the Vikings ahead 70-69. The next four shots, two by each team, missed the mark, but the Mavericks threw the dagger from there, driving to the rim and converting a layup to bring the game to the final score.

Augustana hits the road next weekend, starting with a Friday night game against Minnesota Duluth. Tip is scheduled for 19:30