ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings women's basketball team began their season with Hyatt Place Tournament where they faced off against the Aurora Spartans on Friday, with an outcome of 70-52 loss.

The Vikings were first on the board after 30 seconds of play, with a pass from Kadence Tatum and a two-point jump shot from Macy Beinborn. The Spartans were on the Vikings trail falling by one point until a pass from Tatum resulted in a three-point shot from Carly Stone increasing the gap by four. Augie lost their rhythm towards the end of the first quarter trailing 20-15 to the Spatans.

The second quarter started similarly to the first with two field goals from Beinborn and Stone, but the Spartans continued to add onto their lead with a 16-10 frame. Aurora held a double-digit lead of 36-25 at halftime after connecting on nine three-point makes through the first 20 minutes of action.

Returning from the locker room Augustana saw a valid effort defensively, holding the Spartans to just seven points in the third quarter. The Vikings successfully closed the gap and trimmed the deficit to as little as four, with the score sitting at 43-37 with 10 minutes to go.

Aurora pulled away with a 27-15 fourth quarter to take down Augie by the final score of 70-52.

Beinborn finished with a team-high 18 points on 60 percent shooting, while Whitlock snagged double-digit rebounds with 11.

The Augstana Vikings women's basketball team will return to the Carver Center Saturday at 2 p.m. for the consolation game against the Simpson Storm.