WHEATON, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings women's basketball team earned another important conference victory on Wednesday, defeating the Wheaton Thunder on the road by a score of 69-67 to earn the season sweep. The victory snaps a 14-game losing streak against the Thunder inside of King Arena.

Augustana found themselves in an early hole, trailing 10-0 out of the gate. After seven minutes of scoreless basketball, Macy Beinborn hit a three to put the Vikings on the board. The senior accounted for five of the team's six points in the opening 10 minutes to help cut the deficit to six heading into the second. Wheaton pushed their lead out to 12 early on in the second, but the Vikings responded with a 13-2 run over the course of six minutes to make it a one-point game. Carly Stone jump-started her successful night of shooting with three made threes in that span and a plus-two advantage in the quarter for Augie brought them within four heading into halftime. 

Three minutes into the third quarter, the Vikings grabbed their first lead of the game at 33-32. Augustana held onto their advantage for the remainder of the quarter, cushioning it out to as many as eight points before the Thunder shrunk it back down to four. A late basket from Cali Papez gave Augie a six-point lead heading into the final frame. As a team, the Vikings hit 71.4 percent of their shot attempts in the third and knocked down four of their five looks from behind the three-point line on their way to a 30-point quarter. 

The Thunder grabbed the first five points of the fourth period to bring the differential to just one at 51-50. The Vikings never trailed the rest of the way, but the Thunder managed to even the score on multiple occasions down the stretch, with the latest coming at a score of 58-58 with under five minutes to go. Augustana answered with a timely three from Beinborn to put Augie back up three, followed by another from Emily Brenneisen at the 55-second mark to push the lead to four at 65-61. After a Wheaton three, Beinborn hit two free throws in the final moments, setting up one final attempt to tie the game for the home team. The Thunder were fouled on a last-second three-point attempt, but a miss on the first attempt prompted an intention miss on the third. The ball landed in the hands of the Vikings to end the game at a 69-67 score. 

As a team, Augustana hit 41 percent of their shots and held Wheaton to just 38 percent from the field. The Vikings also connected on 11 made threes at a 42 percent mark. Beinborn led all scorers with 24 points on 50 percent shooting both overall and from downtown, also adding nine rebounds. Stone was the other Viking in double figures, ending with 19 points on 7-10 shooting. 

With the win, Augie improves to 14-7 overall and 8-4 in the CCIW, now owning sole possession of third place. The team will be back in action on Saturday, February 4 when they host Carthage at home. Start time is scheduled for 5 p.m. from inside the Carver Center.