BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- The Augustana women's basketball team dropped their conference road contest on Saturday afternoon, falling to the Illinois Wesleyan Titans by a 78-69 final score. 

Neither team shot particularly well in the opening frame, with Augustana and Illinois Wesleyan shooting below a 30 percent clip. The Titans got to the line often in the quarter, converting their chances into nine free points. Augie buttoned up in a close second period that saw a point differential of just five with under four minutes remaining. The home team benefitted from a late surge to bring it back out to double figures and take an 11-point lead into halftime.

Augie turned a much more aggressive approach on offense into points, converting a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line to help lead to a plus-one point margin in their favor. Emma Berg was a spark for the Vikings offensively out of the half, shooting a perfect 3-3 from the field, including a three-point make. Entering the final frame, the Vikings trailed by 10. A late comeback effort trimmed the deficit to as little as six, but the Vikings ran out of time as the Titans successfully iced the game at the line.

The Vikings had multiple scorers eclipse double-figures, led by Berg and Emily Brenneisen, who each contributed 13 points. Augie's bench was strong on Saturday, scoring nearly half of the Vikings' points with 37. On the glass, Gabriela Loiz led the team with eight boards, also contributing a team-high six steals. 

With the defeat, Augustana moves to 10-6 on the season and 4-3 in conference play. The Vikings will remain on the road for a matchup with the North Central Cardinals on January 18. Next Wednesday's contest in Naperville is set for 7:00 p.m. from Gregory Arena.