ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings women's basketball team returns to the Carver Center on Saturday for their last regular-season home matchup of the 2023-24 season as they take on the No. 14 Millikin Big Blue. 

The Vikings sit at 12-11 on the season and 7-7 in conference play. Augie returns to action after dropping to North Central on Wednesday with a 64-58 final score. The Cardinals were first on the board, but Augie followed with four points to make a 4-3 score after three minutes of play. North Central regained the advantage until a jump shot from Kadence Tatum started a 7-0 run to secure a 13-7 lead. The Vikings maintained their momentum to close out the first quarter with a 16-13 score.

In a neck-to-neck second quarter, both teams tied three times, but a layup by Linnea Johansen turned the lead back to the Vikings. Two back-to-back three-pointers from North Central gave them the upper hand with 25 seconds left in the quarter. Johansen scored a layup to tie the game with one second left in the second quarter and both teams headed into the break with a score of 30-30. 

The third quarter had four lead changes, with neither team holding more than a four-point gap. The Vikings secured five consecutive points to move the score to 46-42 with 45 seconds left. North Central grabbed the last point of the quarter from the charity stripe, but Augie stayed ahead with a 46-43 score heading into the last 10 minutes of play. The fourth began with an 11-point run from the Cardinals to stretch the score to 54-49. A three-point shot from Emma Berg cut the gap back to two, but North Central secured four consecutive successful attempts. The Cardinals ran away with the lead after going 6-8 from the free throw line to conclude the battle 64-58.

Millikin enters the contest with an 18-4 overall record and sits at 10-3 in conference play. The Big Blue return to play after defeating Wheaton on Saturday by a score of 61-56. As a team, Millikin shot 32.8 percent, while Wheaton obtained 31.8 percent for the game. The Big Blue boast three players averaging double figures in scoring, led by conference-leader Elyce Knudsen with 26.7 points per game. Millikin holds an 8-3 record on the road, with their last matchup being the win against Wheaton. 

Millikin holds a 56-32 all-time record over Augie, with their last outing on November 29 resulting in an 85-48 win for the Big Blue. Macy Beinborn led the Vikings in scoring and collected a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Tatum snatched nine points, four assists, four steals, and one rebound.

Start time is scheduled for 5 p.m.