WHEATON, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings traveled to the home of the Wheaton Thunder on Wednesday, January 24 for their second conference meeting of the season, falling by a score of 67-49.

The Vikings grabbed an early advantage with a jump shot by Kadence Tatum, but the Thunder grabbed their first lead with three made attempts behind the line. Both teams tied again at 7:08 before Augie secured the upper hand with a seven-point run to make the score 12-5. In the final five minutes of the first, Wheaton closed the gap and snatched the lead at 1:19 to end the quarter up 15-14.

Corey Whitlock started the second off with two layups to turn the steer back to Augie. Both teams tied twice more in the quarter, but the Vikings fell short in the quarter by one point with a 18-17 margin, with both teams shooting a field goal percentage of 46.7. The Thunder led 33-32 at the break. 

Returning from the halftime break, Wheaton pulled away with a 19-10 quarter. A three-pointer from Carly Stone gave Augie a 36-25 lead, but Wheaton followed with a 6-0 run before holding an advantage of 52-41 heading into the fourth. 

In the final quarter of the contest, the Vikings generated their lowest scoring total of the game with eight points, while Wheaton secured 15 to generate a final score of 67-49. 

The top scorers for the Vikings were Tatum and Whitlock with 10 points, while Whitlock also had eight rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. Cali Papez grabbed nine boards off the glass and Stone had five assists.

With the loss, Augie moves to 11-8 on the season and 6-4 in conference play. The Vikings will stay on the road and travel south to face off against the No. 11 Illinois Wesleyan Titans on Saturday, January 27.