WHITEWATER, Wis. -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team was defeated in a non-conference tilt Wednesday night, falling on the road to the UW-Whitewater Warhawks by a score of 82-65.

The home team jumped out to a double-digit halftime lead thanks to red-hot shooting in the opening 20 minutes. The Warhawks connected on 20 of 29 shots and were 60 percent from behind the three-point line to go with a perfect mark at the charity stripe. The Vikings trailed by just four points halfway through the first half, but Whitewater closed the frame on a 29-15 run to lead 49-31 at intermission.

Augie began the second half strong, securing 11 of the first 15 points scored to shrink the deficit to 11. The Warhawks responded with short spurts to cushion their lead, but Augustana remained in striking distance at 70-58 with just under eight minutes showing on the clock. Consecutive made three-points by Whitewater erased any comeback threat as they held on for the 17-point home victory.

The Augustana defense cooled off Whitewater in the second half, but the Warhawks managed to finish the contest with a 59 percent shooting effort to go with 60 percent from behind the arc. Augie won the turnover battle, committing three fewer than their counterpart. Three Vikings hit double figures in scoring, led by Luke Johnson and Nate Ortiz each with 11. Tyler Knuth posted a season-best 10 points in 23 minutes.

With the loss, Augustana drops to 5-6 overall on the season. The team will be back in action on Thursday, December 30 when they face Aurora on the road. Tip is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.