WHEATON, Ill. – The Augustana women's basketball team (7-9, 1-6) gave the Wheaton Thunder all they could handle tonight but came up just short. The Thunder held on despite a late charge from the Vikings to win 56-47.
 
The defensive affair started with offense at a premium for both squads. The Vikings scored just eight points in the opening quarter while Wheaton struggled to find the net in the second period with just nine points. At the half, Wheaton led 24-19.
 
Both offenses found more consistency in the second half as Wheaton jumped out to a 42-31 advantage after three quarters. Augustana refused to go away quietly and outscored the Thunder 16-14 in the final period. The Vikings' late charge was not enough, though, as Wheaton held on for their fourth conference win of the year.
 
Despite the lower team total, two Augie women notched double figure scoring nights. Lauren Hall led the way with 15 while Gabriela Loiz added 11. Hall also led Augustana on the boards with nine rebounds and was the top distributor with four assists.
 
Wheaton's Annika Richardson led all scorers with 21 points for the Thunder. Ellie Cassel added a dozen points of her own for the hosts. Cassel was also second on her team in rebounds with six, just behind Lily Schwen with seven. Schwen also dished the rock with a team-high five assists.
 
The Vikings return to the Carver Center for their next contest when the Millikin Big Blue travel to Rock Island. Augie and Millikin will tip off a CCIW double-header on Saturday, Jan. 22 at 5:00 P.M.