Box Score ELMHURST, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings women's basketball team fell short to the Elmhurst Bluejays on Saturday by a score of 64-61. 

In the opening quarter, the Bluejays took the early lead after grabbing the first eight points. Audrey Erickson put up the first points for the Vikings after a three-point shot off a pass from Paige Melton. The teams traded points before a second chance layup by Cali Papez closed the gap to four with a score of 11-7. Augie saw this difference twice more after a layup by Papez and Tia Lewis to create a score of 15-11 with 1:46 on the clock. A buzzer-beater shot by Elmhurst pulled the score up to seven after the first 10 minutes of play. 

After a low-scoring three minutes in the second quarter, the Vikings squashed the gap to two after points by Erickson and Lexi Hayes with a score of 18-16. The Vikings saw this gap three more times before evening the score at 24-24 after a pair of successful free throws by Erickson. The teams tied once more with a jump shot by Erickson, but Elmhurst closed out the half with a three-point shot to lead 29-26 entering the halftime break. 

Returning to the court, Papez quickly tallied for the Vikings' score with a layup in the paint to create a 29-28  score. A three-pointer by Jazmeriah Jones drew the score even once more at 31-31 before the Bluejays pulled ahead once more. The teams rallied points with a free throw by Papez, closing the differential to one at 35-34. Elmhurst collected the next fourteen points to pull ahead by 15 with 2:26 on the clock. In the final minute and a half, Augie converted a 7-2 run to make a 51-41 score heading into the final quarter. 

In the fourth period, Tia Lewis grabbed a one-and-one off a jump shot to make a seven-point gap. A layup in the paint from Jones created a six-point game with 8:12 on the clock. With 6:20 on the clock, Augie collected 11 straight points to draw the score even at 57-57 with three minutes left. The Vikings found their first lead after a tip-in layup by Papez, but Elmhurst tied the game again at 59-59. The teams drew even once more, but the Bluejays grabbed the three points in the last 20 seconds from the charity line to claim the win 64-61. 

Three Vikings scored in the win, with Papez leading with a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Erickson followed with 15 points, while Lewis had 11 points. Kadence Tatum has six assists and eight rebounds on the day. 

With the win, Augie moves to 8-6 on the season and 3-2 in the conference. The Vikings will be back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 14, against North Park.