SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The No. 16 Minnesota State women's basketball team (7-2, 3-0 NSIC) won its third consecutive road NSIC game Saturday evening, 96-70, against the Augustana Vikings (1-7, 0-3 NSIC). After a close first half, the Mavericks outscored the Vikings 32-9 in the third quarter to take a serious lead. Junior guard Natalie Bremer recorded her second double-double of the season and scored a career-high 32 points to go along with her 10 rebounds.
 
After some back-and-forth scoring to start the game, the Vikings took an early four-point lead. Bremer hit a three-pointer to cut that lead to one with six minutes remaining in the quarter and the Mavericks took the lead off a Bremer tip-in to put the team up 9-8. After Augustana took the advantage back following a layup, Minnesota State went on a 14-2 run over three minutes to give the Mavericks an 11-point lead. On that run, freshman Lucy Leininger scored two fastbreak layups, senior guard Destinee Bursch made an and-one layup and Bremer made another three-point shot. That make for Bursch put her over 1,500 career points in a Maverick uniform, the eighth player in program history to reach that milestone. MSU led 25-14 after the first quarter of action.
 
In the first five minutes of the second quarter, the Mavericks scored just one basket on a tip-in from Ava Stier. In the first half of the second quarter, the Vikings stormed back on a 12-2 run to cut the Minnesota State lead to one. Bremer ended the scoring drought with a layup near the hoop and had another tip-in off an offensive board to put MSU up by three. The Vikings tied the game at 34-34 with a layup from Brinlee McRae. Bremer had another layup off another offensive rebound to put the team up by two, but the McRae nailed a three-pointer to give Augustana a one-point advantage headed into the half, 37-36.
 
Minnesota State shot just 33% from the field in the first half, as the team made 16-48 shot attempts. Bremer made both of the three-pointers for the team in its 11 shot attempts from beyond the arc. MSU struggled from the free throw line in the first half, as it only made 2-8 from the charity stripe.
 
Bremer led all scorers with 20 points in the first half.
 
Bursch made a layup on an assist from Hannah Herzig to give Minnesota State the lead back right away in the second half, but Augustana responded with a bucket of its own. Bremer followed up the Payton Hardy layup with six-straight points, which sparked a 13-0 run over four minutes to put the Mavericks up 51-39. After Bremer's scoring outburst, Herzig, Stier and Mallory Czinano each tallied scores during that stretch. After a made Viking free throw and a McRae two-point jumper, Mackenzie Schweim sunk a three, Leininger made a layup off an assist from Czinano and Bursch hit a jumper to give MSU a 58-42 lead. The Mavericks closed out the quarter on a 10-2 run over the final two minutes of the third to give the team a 68-46 lead headed into the fourth quarter.
 
After Schweim made her second three-pointer to start the scoring in the fourth, Paige Grant made two consecutive layups for the Vikings. Herzig made a layup off an assist from Bursch with 8:41 left in regulation. After Minnesota State made a handful of free throws, Bremer reached 32 points, a new career-best for the junior star, with a layup off a Herzig dime to put the Mavericks up by 30. Despite a competitive final five minutes of the game, the Maverick lead proved too great to overcome. Minnesota State defeated Augustana 96-70.
 
The Mavericks ended with a 45.8% field goal percentage (38-83 FG). The team made 4-16 from beyond the arc, good for 25%. MSU ended with 16-27 made free throws in the win. Minnesota State outrebounded the Vikings 59-34, had 18 assists and 13 steals in the game. Augustana committed 25 turnovers and the Mavericks scored 29 points from those takeaways. The team ended with 64 points in the paint, 22 fast break points and 28 points contributed from the bench.
 
Bremer's 32-point performance was paired with 10 total rebounds, five offensive and five defensive, one steal and one assist. The Lake City, Minn. native shot 13-20 from the field against the Vikings. Bursch was second on the team with 17 points on 8-13 field goal shooting. She also grabbed three rebounds, dished out five assists and had a steal. Bursch moved into seventh in all-time Mavericks scoring, passing Heather Johnson with 1,515 points. Herzig had six points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals in the win. Leininger had another double-digit performance, as the freshman ended with 10 points and five boards.
 
"We had another gritty effort in the second half to figure out how to change the momentum with our defensive intensity," said Minnesota State head coach Emilee Thiesse. "When we play as a unit with urgency and aggressiveness on the defensive end, we are a very fun team! It will be great to be back at home next week as we work to take another step forward with our consistency."
 
As Coach Thiesse foreshadowed, the Mavericks are back at home next week for a pair of NSIC matchups at the Taylor Center. On Friday, December 13 at 5:30 p.m., Minnesota State takes on the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs (8-1, 2-1 NSIC). The Mustangs lost to Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday for its first of the season. Then, on Saturday, December 14 at 3:30 p.m., MSU hosts the Cougars of Sioux Falls (6-4, 2-1 NSIC) for another home conference game.