KENOSHA, Wis. -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team will remain on the road for their next contest on Saturday, February 12 when they take on the Carthage Firebirds on the road in a critical CCIW matchup.
The Vikings are entering Saturday coming off of a 99-72 road loss to the No. 20 ranked Elmhurst Bluejays on Wednesday. Augie trailed by just six points after a high-scoring first half and found themselves tied with at 54 four minutes into the second half. Over the course of the next three minutes, the Bluejays erupted for 15 straight points to cushion themselves with a comfortable lead and eventually grab the 27-point victory. It was a balanced attack for the Vikings on offense, led by
Matt Hawkins, who scored all of his team-high 13 points.
Luke Johnson finished with 12 points to add to the balanced night, while
Matt Hanushewsky and
Dan Carr each added 11 points.
Chase Larsen contributed ten off of the bench. As a team, the Vikings hit 41 percent of their shots compared to the Bluejays' 56 percent mark.
Carthage currently sits at 9-13 on the season and 2-11 in CCIW play. The Firebirds have lost four in a row, three of which have come against the three ranked teams in the conference. Their most recent outing resulted in a 87-71 defeat on the road against No. 13 Wheaton. Saturday's contest marks their first at home since January 29. Carthage is 4-5 this season in their home arena this season.
The Vikings won the previous meeting between them this season, a 92-82 victory in Rock Island. Augie ended the night with a 55.4 percent mark from the field and were 56.3 percent from behind the arc. They held the Firebirds to just 30 percent (9-30) shooting from three-point range. Larsen posted a career-best 25 points in the win.
Augustana is currently holding on to the sixth and final CCIW tournament qualifying spot with two games remaining in the regular season. The Vikings are a half game ahead of North Park, who they split with this season.
Tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Game coverage at Carthage
