DECATUR, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team will continue its stretch away from home on Wednesday, December 6 when they visit the Millikin Big Blue for a mid-week conference matchup.

Augustana is 1-7 on the season and 0-2 in CCIW action, recently falling in a close battle on Saturday against Carthage in Kenosha by a score of 85-79. It was a back-and-forth start to the game, with neither team holding a lead of more than two possessions until the Vikings saw consecutive made threes from Chase Larsen and Nicolas Giliberto to bring the score to 19-12 in their favor. Augustana held its advantage for a good portion of the remainder of the first half, growing the deficit to as many as eight before Carthage used a late push to even the score at 32 with a minute to go. The Firebirds grabbed two separate leads down the stretch, but a buzzer-beating layup from Dani Romero put the Vikings up 36-35 at the break.

Carthage secured the second half's first scoring run, stretching a lead out to six at 48-42 before the Vikings answered with one of their own to tie the game back up at 52 points apiece. Each squad held leads of up to five points the rest of the way, but continued to play into a deadlock and found themselves tied once again at 69-69 with just over three minutes remaining. The Firebirds broke away from the tie, scoring five straight points before eventually icing the game away with six straight made free throws in the final minute.

Both teams shot well on the afternoon, with Augie posting a 53 percent shooting effort to Carthage's 49 percent mark. The Firebirds outscored the Vikings at the free throw line, making 24-29 attempts, while Augie hit just 9-11. Three Vikings hit double figures in scoring, led by Tyler Knuth with 20 points. Andrew Ayeni added 12 and Colton Gillingham contributed 10 as well.

Millikin enters Wednesday with a 3-5 overall record and 1-0 mark in CCIW play. The Big Blue recently fell in a non-conference bout against nationally-ranked Washington-St. Louis, dropping the contest by a score of 63-47. Millikin has dropped five of its last six outings after beginning the year 2-0, with the lone win in that stretch coming in a conference defeat of Wheaton on November 29 at home. The Big Blue are 2-3 on their home court this season and are led by Nate Straughter's 14.1 points per game.

Wednesday will be the 163rd meeting between the two programs, with Augustana holding a 103-59 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams split their encounters last season, each winning on their home courts. The Vikings have won 20 of the last 22 against the Big Blue dating back to 2014.

Start time is scheduled for 5 p.m.