MINNEAPOLIS – The University of Northwestern suffered a bruising 78-45 defeat at the hands of Augsburg College on Thursday evening as the Eagles lost their fourth consecutive game following a 4-2 start to the year. While UNW stayed in the hunt in the first half, strong three-point shooting by the Auggies and the Eagles' worst shooting performance of the season produced a lopsided victory for Augsburg.

The Eagles' woes began almost immediately as Augsburg led 8-0 before two minutes had ticked off the clock. It would be a hint of what was to come, as Augsburg had received a pair of three-pointers by Raeann Sorenson and an Abbey Luger bucket whiel the Eagles missed their first three attempts. Luger made six of her nine shots -- including a 3-4 mark from outside the arc -- in the first half, helping the home team own a 17-5 midway through the first period. Jackie Foster (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) spurred a Northwestern run that cut the margin to five at 17-12 before back-to-back threes from Chanel Madson (Westbrook, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove) tied the game at 18-18, but Luger went right back to work, scoring 11 straight points to put the Auggies up by six at the break.

What remained a six-point Augsburg buffer three minutes into the second half quickly spiraled out of hand for the Eagles as the Auggies used a 21-0 run to put the game out of reach for UNW. Northwestern couldn't buy a bucket, as head coach Aaron Kahl's team went the final 17:35 without a field goal, making only free throws to produce its final 10 points. Northwestern was outscored 43-16 in the period.

18 of UNW's points came in the paint, but Tiffany Stubbs (Ames, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) was the only Eagles player to score in double figures on a 4-11 shooting night that produced 10 points. Regan Cooper (Pella, Iowa/Osseo) grabbed 14 rebounds in the loss.

Luger's night saw the Augsburg senior score a career-high 27 points while the Auggies committed just eight turnovers compared to UNW's 23.

Now 4-6 overall, Northwestern has one game remaining before taking a two-week hiatus over the Christmas and New Years holidays. The Eagles will host Gustavus Adophus College this Saturday, Dec. 20, in a 3 p.m. tipoff in the Ericksen Center.