KENOSHA, Wis. -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team will begin its second time through the CCIW schedule on Saturday, January 25 when they visit the Carthage Firebirds.

Augie enters with a 10-7 overall record and 3-5 mark in the CCIW. The team is coming off an 82-52 road loss to Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday. Evan Ambrose kicked off the game with a basket on the first possession of the contest. Illinois Wesleyan countered with a three and a made basket on consecutive possessions before Ambrose grabbed his sixth point of the game to give the Vikings a 6-5 lead. The Titans went out in front for good after that, scoring the game's next nine points to take an eight-point lead. A pair of free throws later in the half by Nicholas Giliberto cut the deficit down to four around the six-minute mark and Matt Hakins drew the Vikings within two on a jumper with 2:38 remaining. The Titans closed the half with a 6-2 spurt to lead 29-23 at the break.

The home team quickly moved its lead to double figures to begin the second. A four-point play by Tyler Knuth trimmed a 14-point gap back down to 10, but the Vikings never saw it dip into single digits the rest of the way. The Titans shot a blistering 69 percent from the field in the second half, while holding Augie to just 34 percent in the final 20 minutes. Anthony Cooper led Augustana with 12 points off the bench, while Ambrose finished with 11. 

Carthage currently sits with a 13-4 overall record and is 7-1 in conference play. The Firebirds are riding a five-game winning streak, recently defeating Carroll this past Saturday at home by a score of 88-68. The game was close for a good chunk of the contest, with the Pioneers holding a 42-37 lead at the halftime break. Carthage used a 27-10 scoring run to kick off the second and obtain a double-digit lead, never seeing it dip below six on its way to a 20-point win. Riley Brooks led the way with 26 points in the victory for the Firebirds, while Griffin Duan added a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Brooks is one of three double-digit scorers for the team this season, which is led by AJ Johnson's 16 points per game clip. Carthage is 6-1 on its home court this season. The lone defeat came in a 69-68 loss to North Park back on January 4.

Augie leads the all-time series 125-61 over Carthage. The Firebirds won two out of three meetings a season ago, including both on their home floor. 

Start time is scheduled for 4:15 p.m.