WHEATON, Ill. – The Augustana Vikings women's basketball team continued CCIW play on the road Wednesday night, battling the Wheaton Thunder in a contest that required more than 40 minutes to decide. Despite a strong effort throughout regulation, the Vikings fell in overtime, 82-72. Augustana now sits at 10-12 overall and 5-8 in conference play.
From the opening tip, the Vikings brought the pressure.
Tia Lewis opened the scoring with a turnaround jumper, setting the tone early.
Cali Papez followed with four straight points — including a pair from the free-throw line — and just over two and a half minutes into the contest, Augustana led 6-3.
Wheaton responded with a quick six-point swing, but the Vikings answered once again.
Giulia Milazzo sliced through traffic for a tough finish, and
Kadence Tatum knocked down a jumper to even the score. Augustana closed the first quarter on a 5-1 run to carry an 18-17 edge into the second.
The second quarter turned into a defensive grind, with 11 combined turnovers between the teams. Wheaton built a 26-20 lead with 2:19 remaining in the half, but the Vikings refused to let the game slip away. Tatum sparked an 8-2 run, Lewis and Papez added key buckets, and with less than 45 seconds before the break,
Ciara Hull drilled a hanging jumper to tie the contest at 28-28 heading into the locker room.
If the second quarter was about defense, the third was all about momentum swings.
Jazmeriah Jones opened the scoring with two free throws, and after Wheaton answered, Melton stepped to the line and converted both of her attempts. Lewis, quiet early in the frame, erupted for six points in just 89 seconds to give Augustana control. A Melton three-pointer pushed the Vikings to their largest lead of the night to that point with 2:22 remaining in the quarter. In the final seconds,
Audrey Erickson calmly sank two free throws, sending Augustana into the fourth quarter with a 47-45 advantage.
The Vikings extended their edge early in the fourth behind back-to-back baskets from Lewis and Milazzo. The teams traded punches throughout the middle portion of the quarter before Erickson connected from beyond the arc to stretch the lead to six with 5:50 to play.
Wheaton answered, trimming the margin to 56-55, but Augustana countered at the line. Papez converted two free throws, and Melton knocked down a deep three off an Erickson assist to rebuild a six-point cushion. The Thunder kept fighting, drilling a clutch three with 1:19 remaining to narrow the lead to 63-60.
Papez continued her perfect night at the stripe, knocking down two more free throws with 21 seconds left. Wheaton responded with another triple, cutting the lead to two and sending Erickson to the line. Erickson calmly converted both, but after a Wheaton timeout, the Thunder buried yet another three-pointer to make it 67-66.
Erickson split a pair at the line on the ensuing possession, and with two seconds remaining in regulation, Wheaton was fouled. The Thunder converted the game-tying free throw to force overtime.
Energized by the home crowd and the late-game heroics, Wheaton struck quickly in the extra period, opening on a 7-2 run in just 90 seconds. Jones added a field goal and two free throws, but the Vikings were unable to regain momentum as the Thunder pulled away for the 82-72 final.
Lewis paced Augustana with 16 points and nine rebounds. Melton added 15 points, Erickson finished with 13, and Papez chipped in 10 points and nine boards while going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Melton and Erickson combined to shoot a flawless 4-for-4 from three-point range. As a team, the Vikings converted 83 percent from the stripe and controlled the defensive glass with 33 rebounds.
Augustana returns to action on Saturday, February 14, hosting Carthage at 2 p.m. inside the Carver Center.
