ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team dropped a conference contest to the Carthage Firebirds on Saturday, falling by a score of 82-70.

It was a strong showing for the Vikings to begin the game, jumping out to an 18-2 advantage and holding the visitors without a made shot through the first six minutes. After trading a couple of baskets to keep the margin around the 15-point mark, Carthage inched closer with a 10-3 spurt across a two-minute span to cut the deficit to eight. A jumper by Evan Ambrose and a three from Anthony Cooper moved the margin back out to double figures moments later, but a late run by the Firebirds shrunk the differential down to as little four at 40-36. A pair of free throws from Tyler Knuth and a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Colton Gillingham moved the lead back out to nine at 45-36 heading into halftime. Augie shot 53 percent in the first half and won the turnover battle after forcing eight Carthage miscues to their four. Ambrose led all scorers with 12 points at the break.

The Firebirds notched the first four points of the second half to bring the lead for the Vikings down to five, but Augustana answered with five straight points from Knuth to create another double-digit cushion. Another 5-0 run followed for the visitors as they hovered around a five-point hole for the next four minutes of play. Ray Maurchie's three-pointer around the 13-minute mark moved Augie's advantage out to eight at 57-49, but the Vikings went the next five minutes without a point and found themselves trailing 62-57 with eight minutes remaining. Carthage continued to shoot the ball well down the stretch, extending its lead out to double figures before closing out the game with an 82-70 final. The Firebirds scored points on eight of their final nine possessions to eliminate any possible comeback threat for the Vikings. 

Carthage shot 56 percent in the second half compared to Augustana's 26 percent mark. Knuth led Augie with 20 points and eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career, becoming the 31st player in program history to do so. Ambrose followed with 14 and Staishaun Kelley swiped a team-high four steals to go with seven points. 

With the loss, the Vikings drop to 5-3 on the season and 1-2 in the CCIW. The team will be back in action Wednesday vs. Knox.