Box Score Sioux Falls, S.D. --- The No. 12 Minnesota State women's basketball team dropped its second straight contest Saturday evening as it fell to No. 10 Augustana 86-82.

With the loss, the Mavericks fall to 6-3 overall and 3-2 in the NSIC, while the Vikings improve to 7-2 overall and 3-2 on the circuit.
The Mavericks trailed for the first 13 minutes of the contest, before junior Aubrey Davis (Bloomington, Minn.) gave MSU its first lead of the contest with a floater in the lane on a fast-break.

Augie battled back, holding a 38-25 lead with 3:16 to play in the first frame, before the Mavericks ended the half on a 9-0 run taking a 44-38 lead into intermission.

MSU was led in the first half by freshman Britney Scherber (Bloomington, Minn.) who poured in nine points off the bench. Collectively, the Mavericks connected on 56% (19-34) of their shots from the field, 22% (2-9) from behind the arc and 50% (4-8) from the line but committed 11 turnovers.

The Vikings connected on 40% (12-30) of their shots from the field, 31% (4-13) from behind the arc and 91% (10-11) of their charity attempts. Augie committed 13 first half turnovers.

Augustana gained a 46-44 lead, opening the half on a 6-0 run to take their first lead of the half. MSU would answer with an 8-2 run, opening a 54-48 lead with 13:25 remaining. The Mavericks would lead by as much as seven at 68-61 midway through the half before the Vikings battled to a 68-68 tie with 5:05 to play.

The Vikings led 80-75 with 1:12 to play, but the Mavericks battled back to trail by three at 83-80 with 30 seconds left in the game. The Vikings managed to hang on through the final 30 seconds as they made five free throws, en route to an 86-82 win.

Senior Ali Wilkinson posted her second straight double-double and 29th of her career finished with a game-high 21 points and 12 rebounds. Davis and Scherber each finished the night with 13 points, while senior Alli Hoefer (Plymouth, Minn.) netted 10 points.

As a unit, MSU connected on 30-of-62 (48%) of its shots from the field, 7-of-18 (39%) from behind the arc and 15-of-19 (79%) from the charity stripe, including an 11-of-11 showing in the second half. The Mavericks committed 27 turnovers to Augustana's 23.

The Mavericks return to action Saturday, Dec. 21, as they host No. 25 Concordia-St. Paul, opening tip is slated for 2 p.m.