KENOSHA, Wis. – A huge second quarter and some clutch free throw shooting in the final minute all added up to a 61-55 Augustana victory on Saturday, February 16 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The win was the second in a row for head coach Mark Beinborn's Vikings and propelled the Blue & Gold into the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Tournament on a positive note.
 
Things didn't appear so rosy after one quarter when Augustana trailed 20-13 but in the second stanza Beinborn's crew started to click. The push actually started at the end of the first stanza when the Vikings tailed by 10 points (20-10). B three point basket by junior Mia Lambert (Macomb HS, Macomb, Ill.) at 1:22 trimmed the margin to 20-13 and that is the way the period ended.
 
Junior Alexis Jones (Marist HS, Chicago, Ill.), who would lead all scorers with 23 points, started things off with a three point field goal early in the second (8:51) to cut the margin to 20-16. Jones came back on the next possession and drilled another three pointer to make it 20-19 at 8:15.
 
Freshman Justice Edell (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) hit a pair of free throws at 7:09 to tie the game and then give Augustana the lead. The Vikings would not trail in the game again. The Vikings would eventually outscore Carthage 17-6 in the period and the run was actually 20-6 when you throw in Lamberts' three pointer to start things off at the end of the first.
 
Augustana took a 30-26 lead at halftime and by the end of three periods the margin was a single point (42-41).
 
A three point field goal by senior Scooter Lopez (Mountain Vista HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.) with 4:24 gave the visitors an eight point lead (53-45). However, Carthage battled back and a basket by Maggie Berigan with :23 left cut the lead to two points (57-55). Senior Izzy Anderson (Alleman Catholic HS, Rock Island, Ill.) nailed a pair of free throws with :18 left to make it 59-55 and Lopez dropped in a pair with just seven seconds remaining to account for the final score of 61-55.
 
Augustana used solid defense to secure this victory as the Vikings held Carthage to just .362 shooting from the field (21-58). The Vikings also held a 35-27 advantage in rebounding and shot a torrid .550 (11-20) from the floor in the second half.
 
Jones led the team with 23 points and she was seven of 11 from the floor and six of eight from three point range. She was joined in double figures by Lopez with 11 points. Anderson, the team's leading scorer, was held to seven points but she had a team-high five assists and pulled down five rebounds.
 
Carthage had four players in double figures with Autumn Kallis leading the way with 15 points.
 
Augustana is now 14-11 overall and 8-8 in the CCIW and the Vikings will host a first round CCIW Tournament game on Tuesday, February 19 at 7:00 p.m. in the Carver Center. The opponent has yet to be determined but Augustana is the fourth seed and will play whichever team ends up in fifth place in the league standings.