The University of Sioux Falls women's basketball team knocked down 11 3-pointers, eight in the first half to pick up a 72-61 victory over Notre Dame de Namur University Saturday evening in Belmont, Calif. With the win, the Cougars extend their win streak to seven and move to 9-1 on the season.
USF opened the game on a 15-2 run, recording 3 3-pointers during the first five minutes of the game, to claim a 13 point lead at the 15:17 mark.
Over the next 15 minutes of play, the Argonauts would make a run of their own to cut the lead to eight, but strong first half performances from Holli Aggen and Laura Johnson gave USF a 13 point lead at the break.
Aggen posted a season high 18 points alone in the first half where she accounted for four of the Cougars' eight 3-pointers which proved to be the difference in the first half.
The Cougars outshot Notre Dame in the first half, shooting 42% from the field while holding the Argonauts to just 33% per clip.
USF got right back to work in the second half and extended their lead to as large as 17 points on two occasions. Laura Johnson's 3-pointer with 17:34 left in the second half put the Cougars up 49-32. A few moments later, Aggen knocked down a pair of free throws to recapture USF's largest lead at 17 points with 16:16.
Notre Dame responded and came within eight points of the Cougars, following three big free throws from Taylor Dewes near the five minute mark, but it was too little too late.
Free throw shooting and a dagger of a 3-pointer from Laura Johnson down the stretch secured USF's second win in two nights as they picked up a 72-61 win in Belmont, Calif.
USF's hot shooting cooled down a bit in the second half, where they shot just 30.8% from the field and went 3-11 from downtown.
The Cougars displayed discipline today on the court, recording a season low seven turnovers while turning 14 Argonaut mistakes into 18 points.
For the first time this season, Aggen led USF with 21 points on 4-8 shooting from beyond the arc and 5-6 from the free throw line. She also added five rebounds and three assists.
Laura Johnson and Vanessa Johnson both had another solid performance in Saturday's win. Laura finished 4-9 from downtown for 14 points and three assists, while Vanessa went 3-4 at the charity stripe and added 12 points, three rebounds and three assists.
USF will get some time off and return to action after the New Year Jan. 7 when they host Valley City State University at the Stewart Center. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m
