SIOUX FALLS, S.D. –The Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball team fell to Augustana, 79-74 in the quarterfinals of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference/Sanford Health Tournament on Sunday night at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. A late 10-0 run by Augustana over the final three minutes proved decisive in the contest.

MSUM fell to 21-6 on the season while Augustana improved to 23-7.

Senior forward Heather Strese and sophomore forward Drew Sannes paced the Dragons with 16 points each. Junior guard Morgan Banasik had 13 points while freshman guard Jacky Volkert had 12 points. Senior forward Savanna Handevidt had eight points and eight rebounds while junior guard Natalie Van Wyhe had five assists.

MSUM shot 39 percent (23-of-59) for the game while Augustana shot 46.3 percent (25-of-54). The Dragons had a 40-27 edge in rebounds but also committed 15 turnovers compared to 12 for the Vikings.

The Dragons were down by as many as 14 in the first quarter but battled back to within four at halftime. They outscored the Vikings 26-18 in the third quarter to take a 62-58 advantage into the fourth.

Strese hit a pair of free throws with 3:54 left to put MSUM up 74-69, but the Dragons would not score again. The Vikings went on a 10-0 run – thanks to going 10-of-12 from the foul line in the final 2:16 – to take the lead in the final minute.

The Dragons were down 75-74 with 35 seconds left and had a chance to regain the lead but turned the ball over. The Vikings hit two free throws to make it 77-74 with 15 seconds left.

The Dragons had a chance to tie in the final five seconds but a three-pointer wouldn't fall, and two Augie free throws with one second left put the game away for the Vikings.

Sophomore forward Cassidy Thorson had seven points and seven rebounds for MSUM.

MSUM, which was ranked eighth in the most recent Central Region poll, will now wait to see if it qualifies for the regional tournament.  The field will be announced Sunday evening by the NCAA.

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Augustana has now eliminated the Dragons three times in as many games in the NSIC tournament. The Vikings dismissed the Dragons 89-77 at Augustana on Feb. 29, 2012 and also at Augustana 90-79, on Feb. 26, 2014.