"I thought both teams looked tired," said Coach Karla Nelson. "I'm not sure why. Had we played better, this was probably the night to get them."

Even though the Dragons led by as many as seven in the first half, both teams struggled to find offensive consistency. Jetvig slashed through the lane to tie the score 4-4, and Marisa Yernatich took a Jetvig pass on the ensuing possession and hit an open three.

In the first half, the Dragons only shot 8-for-37, 21.6%, from the field, however Megan Strese led all scorers at the half with 10 points, continuing her strong play as the season progresses.

"I felt like I matched up well," said Strese. "My confidence has built up thanks to coach."

"I just don't think we established anything in the paint," commented Coach Nelson after the game. "If you don't get anything going in the paint, it's hard to get anything going from the outside. But I really liked Megan Strese's effort in the paint. I thought she gave us a really good effort."

The offensive struggles led to opportunities for the Vikings, as they fought back for a 29-26 lead going into the half. Coming out of the half, Jetvig scored the next three Dragon baskets to regain the lead, but both teams went quiet on offense, not scoring for over two minutes. The Vikings put together a 7-0 run, on way to leading by as many as 15 points, paced by the strong shooting of guard Molly Hayes who finished the game with 22 points.

"Once that run by them was over, it was pretty much back to bad basketball for the most part," said Coach Nelson on the ability to find momentum during the second half. "We just couldn't get anything going on the offensive end, and, to me, if you don't get anything going offensively, it seems like if you have a breakdown on defense, it just gets magnified."

MSUM finished the game 18-for-68, 26.5%, from the field, 2-for-14, 14.3%, from three, and 19-for-20, 95%, from the free throw line. The Dragons had four players score in double digits: Strese (16), Jetvig (12), Yernatich (11), and Kaycee Charette (11).

Augustana shot 26-for-69, 37.7%, from the field, 6-for-18, 33.3%, from three, and 9-for-11, 81.8%, from the free throw line. The Vikings were led in scoring by Hayes (22), Lydia Nelson (12), and Faith Tinklenberg (10).

The Dragons play their final home game of the regular season tomorrow night at 4:00 in the Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse.

Steve d'Eustachio's Stat of the Game: The Dragon women are now 4-12 lifetime against Augustana College. Augustana won the first nine games of the series from November 23, 1990, through December 29, 1999. MSUM then won the next four games from November 30, 2008 through December 18, 2010. Augustana has now won three in a row.

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