Box Score Bismarck, ND – With two of the best offensive teams in the Northern Sun struggling from behind the arc, one found an alternate way to score and secured their passage to the Northern Sun / Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament semifinals. Augustana shot 41 free throws to 15 for the University of Mary and the visiting Vikings ground out a 74-59 win over the Marauders.
 
In her final game for the Marauders, Ali Collins scored a career-high 27 points as U-Mary finishes the season with 19 wins for the second straight year.


Second and third in the NSIC in three pointers made per game, Augie was held to a season low three treys while U-Mary hit six. The two teams average a combined 16 3-pointers per game.
 
Aggressive to the basket, the Vikings went 31-of-41 at the free throw line, including a 19-of-23 effort in the second half. The Marauders did shoot well when they did toe the line, making 11-of-15.  The Marauders were whistled for 25 fouls to 18 for the Vikings. Shaunna Knife, Laura Petersen and Brittney Dietz all fouled out for U-Mary. For Petersen and Knife it was their last game in the the Blue and Orange. 
 
Back to back treys by Dietz and Collins gave the Marauders a 14-10 lead but it proved to be a short-lived advantage for U-Mary.
 
Jump-started by a Cami Koehn three-pointer and finished by driving layups from Emily Schulte and Shaunteva Ashley, the Vikings ran off 14 straight points to gain a 27-15 advantage. U-Mary would get the deficit down to five points but Augie scored the last eight points of the first half to lead 37-24 entering intermission.
 
Trailing by 15 early in the second half, Collins converted a three-point play to close the Marauders within 47-41 but U-Mary would never get closer. Two free throws by Knife allowed the Marauders to pull within 61-54 but Augie soon pushed its advantage to double digits for the rest of the night.
 
Collins was tremendous in her final game at the McDowell Activity Center. The senior guard from Mandan, ND, was 10-of-18 at the line, hit two treys, made all five free throw attempts, pulled down seven rebounds, added three assists and committed just one turnover.
 
Knife was the only other U-Mary player in double figures. The senior from Bottineau, ND, scored 12 points and added seven rebounds with two assists.  A senior from Osseo, WI, Petersen led the team with eight rebounds and scored five points.
 
Two other Marauders also played their final game at the MAC. A guard from Amery, WI, Taylor Luke posted two assists and a steal. Shanara Clark, a forward from Palmdale, CA, had six rebounds and two points.
 
Coming off the bench, Dietz scored nine points and had six rebounds to wrap up her redshirt freshman season.  
 
Schulte led the Vikings with 21 points. Just 5-of-14 from the field and 1-of-8 behind the arc, she was 10-of-10 at the free throw line and added seven rebounds. Ashley scored 11 points and Koehn had 10. Andrea Whitney dominated the boards for the Vikings, grabbing 13 rebounds and scoring nine points.
 
The Vikings had a 49-41 rebounding edge and shot 37 per cent from the field to 31.3 per cent for the Marauders.
 
This was the fifth straight time the Vikings have beaten the Marauders. Augie also knocked the Marauders out of the NSIC playoffs last season, too.
 
The second seed in the NSIC North , the Marauders conclude the season 19-11. The Vikings, seeded third in the NSIC South, is 22-6.
 
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