KENOSHA, Wis. — in a battle of second place teams in the CCIW, the Augustana men's basketball put together multiple competitive stretches Saturday evening but came up short in a 75–61 decision at Carthage inside Tarble Arena.

The Vikings matched the Firebirds early on the road, before a surge in the 5th minute gave the hosts some offensive breathing room. Dom Rhoden connected on a deep three to jolt the offense to score seven straight points, and the Vikings made a strong push to cut the deficit to four with 11 minutes left in the first half. The Firebirds offense then surged back to life, racing to a 40-26 halftime lead.

After the break, Augustana continued to battle, opening the second half with an Eli Aldana three-pointer, and shots from Jake Willems and Andre Klaver to find themselves down ten. The Firebirds continued to press the Augie defense, and create opportunities with their defense. Carthage would pull away once more, and close out the night with a 75-61 victory.

Andre Klaver and Hayden Parcel led Augustana with 11 points, Ray Maurchie added eight points with 10 rebounds. Dom Rhoden and Jake Willems added seven points a piece.

The Vikings are back in action on Wednesday, January 28 when they travel to Wheaton. That game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.