KENOSHA, Wis. -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team will continue CCIW play on Saturday, December 2 when they head to Wisconsin to take on the Carthage Firebirds.

Augie sits at 1-6 on the season and is coming off a close 61-59 defeat at North Central on Wednesday. The Vikings got off to a fast start offensively, doubling up the Cardinals 8-4 before eventually doing it again at a larger margin of 22-11 following a 12-2 scoring run. North Central responded with a big scoring spurt before the half, using a 16-2 outburst to not only pull even, but take the lead before the break. The Cardinals' scoring run continued through the end of the half as the home team held a 32-26 advantage after 20 minutes of play.

After Augie caught back up early in the second half, the two teams continued to alternate buckets, with neither holding a lead of more than one possession until a critical defensive stop and a pair of free throws put the Cardinals up 60-56 with 34 seconds remaining. Tyler Knuth answered with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to bring the Vikings within one. In the final moments of the game, Augustana saw two possessions to tie or take the lead after North Central connected on one of two shots from the free throw line. The Vikings were unable to capitalize on two looks in the paint on the first chance, but quickly grabbed the ball right back after the Cardinals overthrew a pass down court and was saved into the hands of Augustana. A last-second look near the basket bounced around the rim and off and the Cardinals escaped with the 61-59 victory.

Saturday will be the conference opener for the Firebirds, who sit at 5-1 on the season and were once ranked as high as No. 18 in the country. Carthage recently picked up a big home win, defeating No. 1 UW-Whitewater on Tuesday by a score of 77-73. After a low-scoring first half both ways, the Firebirds outscored the Warhawks 50-44 in the final 20 minutes and saw five different players contribute double-digit points. Fillip Bulatovic led Carthage with 21 points and three assists. The Firebirds are undefeated at home this season, with their lone loss of the year coming back on November 15 at Ripon.

The Vikings lead the all-time series 124-59 over the Firebirds. Carthage won both meetings last season, snapping a seven-game winning streak by the Vikings in the series.

Start time on Saturday is scheduled for 4:15 p.m.