Five Golden Bears scored in double-figures as Concordia University (5-4) downed Augustana College (8-3) 77-62 on Wednesday evening at the Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul, Minn. The Concordia defense dominated Augustana, holding the Vikings to just 27.0% (17-63) shooting from the field and 21.7% (5-23) from three-point range.

The strong post play off the bench from junior forward Janine Kuklis, who recorded her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 14 rebounds, contributed to the Concordia victory. She added three steals in 24 minutes of action.

Both teams started out slowly, playing to a 16-16 tie for the first 11-plus minutes. But Concordia kicked their game into gear as they went on a 14-0 run over the next 4:46 to grab a 30-16 lead. Sophomore center Amanda Behnke scored seven points on the run to spark CU. The Bears finished the first half with a 33-22 lead, holding the Vikings to a jaw-dropping 17.6% (6-34) field goal percentage.

Augustana fought back, cutting the score to 44-41 with 13:32 remaining in the contest. Concordia answered, as they went on a 22-5 run over the next 6-plus minutes to take a commanding 66-46 lead with 7:21 to play. Senior guard Nakia Carlisle scored 10 points, while sophomore point guard Katie Laviolette added six points in the scoring run. The duo ran an efficient fast break with clutch pull-up jumpers in the paint over the Viking defense. Concordia finished with a 21-5 lead in fastbreak scoring.

The Bears pushed the lead as high as 21 points, reaching that margin four times as they coasted to a 77-62 victory.

Laviolette led Concordia's scoring attack with 15 points, shooting an efficient 7-10 from the field. She also grabbed four rebounds and had four assists with one block.

Senior guard Ashley Smith and Carlisle each had 14 points in the ballgame. All of Carlisle's points came in the second half, as she was relegated to the bench for much of the opening half due to early foul trouble. Carlisle also four assists, three rebounds, and a pair of steals. Smith just missed her first double-double of the season with nine rebounds (four offensive). She also had a pair of steals, blocks, and assists in a team-high 30 minutes of playing time.

Behnke finished with 13 points to round out the CU players in double-figures.

Senior guard Rikiee Ellis may have finished with just one point and was 0-5 from the field and 0-3 from downtown, but her gritty defense forced five steals. She also had three assists, two blocks, and three rebounds in a solid performance away from the ball.

The Golden Bears recorded a season-high 11 blocks, led by sophomore center Whitney Smetana's five. Smetana also added three points and a pair of rebounds.

Concordia also dominated the glass, holding a 53-42 rebounding edge. The Bears also grabbed 17 offensive boards.

Concordia returns to action on Dec. 30 when they travel to Denver, Colo. to compete in the Metro State Tournament. They open against Metro State at 3 p.m.