Women's Basketball Drops 76-64 Contest To No. 12 Augustana

The Northwood University women's basketball team dropped a 76-62 contest to No. 12 Augustana Thursday night (November 23).

The game was held in Honolulu, Hawaii and was a part of the Oahu Classic.

Augustana got off to a great start in the game, which gave them a lead they would never give up.  The Vikings scored the opening 10 points of the contest over the first two minutes of the game.  Northwood hung around, eventually cutting the lead into single-digits in late in the half.  But Augustana responded by scoring the final seven points in the half to earn the biggest lead of the opening 20 minutes at 43-27.  The Vikings earned their lead thanks to their shooting – Augustana shot 50.0 percent (17-34), compared to 23.5 percent (8-34) for Northwood.

The Timberwolves played a much stronger second, cutting a one-time 18-point down to five points at 60-55 with less than five minutes to go.  But Northwood made just one field goal in the final three minutes, giving the Vikings the victory.

For the game, shooting was the key to the Augustana win.  Northwood held a huge advantage in free throws (25-34/11-15) and played the Vikings to a draw in rebounding (47-47).  But Augustana finished at 41.2 (28-68) from the floor.  Northwood shot 27.7 percent for the contest (18-65).

Three Timberwolves finished in double figures, led by Gabrielle Rivette (Fenton, Mich.).  She had 15 points and eight rebounds.    Lauren Robak (Waterford, Mich./Our Lady of the Lakes) had her best game at Northwood, finishing with 14 points and four rebounds off the bench.  Kaitlin Susan (Byron Center, Mich.) totaled 11 points, nine rebounds and five steals.

Northwood will finish the event with a game against Chaminade.  Game time is set for 6 p.m. in Hawaii (11 p.m. in Michigan).