WHEATON, Ill. – The Augustana women's basketball team will travel to the Chicagoland area for a critical CCIW matchup against the Wheaton Thunder on Wednesday, February 1. 

The Vikings currently sit at 13-7 overall following a pivotal 75-72 conference win over Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday. The opening half saw both teams in a back-and-forth slugfest, with Augie entering the locker room possessing a one-point advantage over the Thunder. The Vikings emerged from the half with the same intensity, strengthening their lead to four entering the final frame. While Augie stretched the lead to as much as six points on multiple occasions, the Titans rallied late, seeing a chance to tie the game with under a second remaining but could not get a shot off as the Vikings grabbed the narrow victory. Gabriela Loiz led Augie in scoring with 16 points while also bringing down a team-high six rebounds. Other Vikings eclipsing double-figures were Macy Beinborn, who scored 13, Emma Berg with 12, and Cali Papez with 10.

Wheaton comes into Wednesday's game possessing a 12-8 record and a 7-4 conference record, tied with the Vikings in the CCIW. Their most recent matchup came against Carthage on the road, securing a 58-55 victory. The Thunder played strong defense in the second quarter, limiting the Firebirds to only eight points. The defensive effort would go on to benefit Wheaton in the second half as they were unable to achieve a plus-point advantage but still able to secure the contest. Annika Richardson led all Thunder scorers with 19 points, while Caroline Sikkink collected a game-high 15 rebounds on the way to her second double-double of the season.

Augie trails Wheaton in the all-time series by a 54-24 record. The most recent matchup between the conference foes came on November 30, resulting in a gutsy victory for the Vikings by a 65-63 final score. The game took an extra frame to complete, with Augie never trailing in the extra session after an opening possession jumper from Corey Whitlock put Augie ahead. The two teams exchanged scores overtime, but strong defense and a Presley Case free throw with three seconds remaining secured the win for the Vikings. Emily Brenneisen led the scoring effort for Augustana, dropping in 15 points and shooting 3-6 from deep. 

Start time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. from King Arena. The stream link for the conference bout can be found here.