Coming into last night’s game against Illinois Wesleyan University, the Augustana women’s basketball was in a three-way tie for first place in the CCIW with the Titans and Wheaton College. The Vikings won 83-73 at the Roy J. Carver Center to stay atop the conference and tied with Wheaton at 6-1.
Vikings head coach Mark Beinborn said the win was huge for the Vikings.
“We had a three-way tie for first and to stay in that spot is vital,” Beinborn said. “I think that every game is a big game and we have to approach every game ready to all the little things, play hard, finish out plays and play to win.”
It was a group effort as the bench came alive for the Vikings, scoring 45 of the team’s points. Sophomore Izzy Anderson led the way for the Vikings with 15 points.
Head coach Mark beinborn said the bench’s performance was huge for the Vikings.
“The thing about our depth is finding the rotation in the moment,” Beinborn said. “We just have a group that we know, depending on what the other team is doing, can match or counter what they are doing.”
It was also a test of the Vikings’ patience. At the start of the fourth quarter, the Vikings had a 14-point lead. In a series of turnovers and quick plays, the Vikings were in danger of losing the lead as the Titans closed the gap 64-68.
Anderson came up big for the VIkings in the final three and a half minutes of the game by scoring seven points to keep the Vikings in the lead.
Throughout the game, the Vikings would jump to a lead and then the Titans would respond. In the first period, the first quarter, the Vikings lead 7-2 before the Titans tied them up at nine. The Vikings finished the first quarter 17-16.
In the second quarter, the Titans were quick to tie the score up at 17 in the first minute and then at 25 halfway through the second. The VIkings got a strong offensive spurt and were able to finish out the second 42-34. In the third, the Vikings earned their biggest lead in the game with 14 points and lead the Titans 63-49 going into the fourth,
Although being at the top of the leaderboards in the CCIW could put some unwanted pressure on the VIkings, Anderson said the VIkings will do just fine.
“We are still just trying to focus on ourselves and not what other people are thinking,” Anderson said. “I think if we can keep playing how we are right now we’ll be fine.
The next game for the VIkings will be another CCIW game at Millikin Univerisity at 5 p.m. this Saturday.