ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings women's basketball team was defeated by the Webster Gorloks on Saturday, falling by a score of 80-68.

Augie had a big opening quarter, out-scoring the visitors 25-14 after 10 minutes of action. It was a slow start for both teams, with Webster holing an 8-7 lead after six minutes before the two teams found themselves in a tie around the three-minute mark. From there, a three-pointer by Emma Berg and a pair of free throws from Tia Lewis gave Augie the largest lead for any team at 15-10. The Gorloks cut the margin to two moments later, but the Vikings rattled off a 10-2 run in the final two minutes of play to take a double-digit lead into the second period. Carly Stone accounted for the first seven points of the scoring spurt before a basket by Jazmeriah Jones pushed the lead out to 12. Augustana shot 56 percent from the field and hit 4-6 looks from deep in the first.

Webster shrunk the differential to two after a 23-14 advantage in the second. The Vikings never lost the lead despite seeing the cushion move down to just one possession on four different occasions. Kadence Tatum and Paige Melton each notched a basket in the final 90 seconds to help keep Augie out in front by a score of 39-37 at the halftime break. The Vikings hit 70 percent of their attempts in the frame, but had seven fewer shots at the basket than the Gorloks.

In the third, Webster grabbed the advantage four minutes into the half and extended the lead out to four before a three-point play by Audrey Erickson brought the score to 47-46. The Gorloks closed the quarter with a 10-6 differential to make it a 57-52 score entering the final period. A fast start for the visitors in the fourth stretched the advantage out to double figures before closing it out with a final score of 80-68.

Augie shot efficiently in the loss, hitting 51 percent of its looks, but finished with just 51 shot attempts compared to Webster's 62. Melton led the team with 15 points and three assists, while Stone collected 12 points. Tatum and Lewis also found double figures with 10 each.

With the loss, the Vikings drop to 2-4 on the season. The team will open CCIW play on Wednesday vs. Elmhurst.