ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team came up short in a physical fight against the Carthage Firebirds on Saturday, falling by a score of 86-82 from inside the Carver Center.
Both teams battled to a high-scoring opening half, with the Vikings breaking away early for a quick six-point lead before the Firebirds claimed their first lead nine minutes in at 21-19. Each team benefited from small spurts of scoring, each holding their own five-point lead before the Vikings posted the half's largest margin of seven at 45-38 just before the break. A three-pointer with six seconds remaining brought Carthage back within four as Augustana led 45-41 after 20 minutes of action. Both teams shot above 50 percent in the first half, with Augie hitting 62.5 percent of their attempts from deep as well.
Tyler Knuth had 11 of his 14 points in the opening frame.
The Vikings held on to their lead for the first four minutes of the second, later enduring a 16-5 run from the Firebirds that put them up double figures. Augustana slowly chipped away, getting the deficit to five points at the 3:23 mark, but a quick Carthage scoring outburst cushioned their lead back out to 11 with just over a minute remaining. Chaos ensued once the clock dipped below 60 seconds, with the Vikings rattling off nine points in 30 seconds to cut the margin to just three. After a Carthage free throw,
Matt Hanushewsky brought Augie within two with a perfect trip to the line. The Firebirds hit four of their final four free throws to counter another Vikings basket and hold on for the 86-82 win.
Three Augustana players hit double figures in the game, led by
Chase Larsen's 20 points. Hanushewsky tallied 15 on 50 percent shooting, with Knuth securing 14. Hanushewsky and Larsen were also the team's top rebounders, grabbing eight and seven, respectively.
With the loss, Augie drops to 7-15 overall and 5-8 in the CCIW. The team will have a week off before heading to Carroll on Saturday, February 11. Start time is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. from Waukesha, Wis.
