The Centre women's basketball team fell victim to a strong second half performance by Augustana, with the Colonels falling 72-49 in the Rhodes Classic on Saturday in Memphis, Tenn.

The Vikings led by just two points at halftime, but pulled away over the course of a second half in which they shot 53 percent (9-of-17) from 3-point range. Leading 29-27 at the break, Augustana pushed the lead out to double digits by starting the half on a 14-4 run, including a sequence in which the Vikings made 3-pointers on three straight possessions. The Colonels cut the margin to 49-41 on a Caroline Andreassen (Palm Harbor, Fla.) 3-pointer at the 8:30 mark, but Augustana responded with a 10-0 run that effectively put the game away.

The start of the game went much better for the Colonels, who jumped out to an 8-2 lead they would hold for much of the first half. Centre led by as many as eight points when an Olivia Colliver (Mount Sterling, Ky.) 3-pointer made the score 16-8 just inside the 10 minute mark. Augustana answered with an 11-2 run, however, and took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Valerie Vanroeyen with 3:12 left in the half.

Vanroeyen went on to lead all scorers with 19 points, while Alexis Guy (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) had 13 to lead Centre. Paige Kellam (Hebron, Ky.) chipped in 11 for the Colonels. 

For the game, Augustana shot 47 percent (24-of-51) overall while holding Centre to 34 percent (20-of-59) shooting. The Vikings also shot 44 percent (12-of-27) from outside compared with the Colonels' 25 percent (6-of-24). Augustana held a 43-29 rebounding advantage and turned the ball over 15 times to Centre's nine.

Augustana improves to 5-4 on the year while Centre drops to 3-5. After a week off, the Colonels will travel to Columbus, Ohio, where they will take on Wooster on Dec. 29 in a tournament at Capital.