ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Missouri Western women's basketball had a strong end to the second quarter to go up 43-29 at halftime, and the Griffons cruised from there, scoring 31 third quarter points to ultimately beat Augustana, 96-61, on Saturday at Civic Arena in the Central Region Women's Basketball Showcase.

The Griffons (2-0) shot well throughout the night, sparked by a 16-of-36 effort (44.4%) from long range. Missouri Western shot 50.8% (32-of-63) overall. On defense, Missouri Western held Augustana (0-2) to 33.3% shooting (21-of-63) and just 6-of-26 from three (23.1%). The Griffons also blocked eight shots in the win, and scored 23 points off of 22 Augustana turnovers.

The Vikings also missed 15 frree throws, going 13-of-28.

Matilda Soderlund came off the bench to score a game-high 19 points on a 6-of-9 shooting effort, including a 5-of-8 effort from three. Marie Sepp added 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting to go with seven rebounds. Alyssa Bonilla added 11 points and a career-high nine assists, while Kassandra Caron chipped in 11 off the bench to go with two blocked shots.

The Griffons shared the ball well with 26 total assists. MWSU also scored 25 fastbreak points, collected 45 bench points and scored 32 points in the paint.

Missouri Western will go on the road this coming weekend to play in the Al Kaly Shrine Classic in Pueblo, CO. The Griffons will first play Colorado Christian on Friday, Nov. 15 at 4 p.m. CT.