Entering its game against cross-river rival Augustana on Tuesday night, the St. Ambrose women’s basketball team had been struggling somewhat offensively. Those offensive woes abruptly ended at the Roy J. Carver Center, as the visiting Queen Bees sank 30 of 59 (50.8 percent) field-goal attempts en route to a hard-fought, 83-78 victory. It was St. Ambrose’s 19th straight triumph over the Vikings. The Queen Bees, who lead the all-time series 27-2, haven’t lost to Augustana since suffering a 68-66 setback during the 1981-82 season. “This is the best team effort we’ve had during the 21/2 years I have been here,” said St. Ambrose coach Ted Eskildsen, whose team had been shooting about 40 percent from the field before Tuesday. “This win is great, but the growth and maturity I’m seeing in our players is what means the most to me,” Eskildsen added. “We needed a total team effort to defeat a solid squad like Augustana.” Several see-saw scenarios emerged during the first half, as Augustana (1-2) made its first five shots and established an 11-4 advantage after 1 minute, 47 seconds. Quickly countering, the Queen Bees (5-7) pieced together a 22-12 scoring spurt that enabled them to build a 26-23 edge at the 8:29 mark of the opening half. Bolstered by Angie Schinstock and Amy Van Dyke, who cumulatively scored 27 points during the first half, St. Ambrose led 43-41 at intermission. Opening the second half with a 9-3 scoring surge, Augustana opened a 50-46 advantage with 16:26 remaining. The explosive Queen Bees put together a 26-12 run that provided them with a 72-62 advantage at the 7:19 mark. Augustana was unable to draw any closer than two points during the waning moments. Schinstock spearheaded a balanced St. Ambrose scoring attack, as the 5-foot-10 junior forward converted 11 of 14 field-goal attempts and netted 5 of 8 free-throw tries en route to a contest-best 27 points. “This was a huge win for us because it gives us a lot of confidence that we can win close games,” said Schinstock. “We’re a very close team with great chemistry.” Van Dyke and Kellie Metz added 14 points apiece for St. Ambrose. The Queen Bees had eight players score at least four points. St. Ambrose reserve players contributed 26 points and 10 rebounds. Perhaps no reserve produced more than guard Maggie Hughes. Hughes replaced starting point guard Kate Tuttle, who left the game with a sprained right ankle after just 9 minutes. Hughes recorded eight assists. A considerable edge at the free-throw line also aided St. Ambrose. The Queen Bees drilled 20 of 27 free-throw attempts, compared with 7 of 11 for Augustana. “That free-throw disparity was the difference in the game,” said Augustana coach James Black. “Although we lost, I do see a lot of positives.” Kristen Pence led Augustana with 21 points. Contact the sports desk at (563) 383-2285 or sports@qctimes.com.