Rock Island, Ill. - The Wheaton women's basketball team had its modest five-game winning streak ended on Wednesday night with a 79-66 loss at Augustana College. After rallying from a halftime deficit to tie the game entering the fourth quarter, Wheaton was outscored 29-16 in the final quarter as the Thunder dropped to 15-6 on the season and 8-4 in the CCIW. Augustana improves to 21-10 on the year with a 6-6 mark in the CCIW. Wheaton will be on the road once again on Saturday night, when the Thunder travel to Chicago for a 5 pm tip-off against conference-leading North Park.

Wheaton finished the game shooting just 33.9% (19-56) from the field and 35.7% (10-28) from the three-point line. Augustana shot 42.6% (26-61) from the field and 42.1% (8-19) from beyond the arc. The Vikings hit 76% (19-25) from the free throw line with Wheaton shooting 69.2% (18-26) from the charity stripe. Augustana also owned a 45-37 rebounding advantage, leading to an 18-6 edge in second chance points.

The Thunder used an early 9-1 run to take its largest lead of the game less than five minutes into the game. Hannah Frazier hit consecutive three-pointers and Kirsten Madsen drilled a third triple to push Wheaton to a 15-7 lead. Augustana answered by closing the quarter on a 10-3 run to pull back to within 18-17 at the end of the quarter.

Kirsten Madsen opened the second quarter with a three-point play to put Wheaton ahead 21-17, but the Thunder went cold from the field as the Vikings ran off 11 unanswered points to pull ahead to a 28-21 advantage on Lauren Hall's three-pointer midway through the quarter. Jill Berg ended the Viking run with a lay-up and pulled Wheaton back to within 34-31 with a three-point play with 20 seconds left in the half, but Mia Lambert answered with a three-pointer with seven seconds left in the half to give the Vikings a 37-31 halftime lead.

Having survived foul trouble in the second quarter, Wheaton pulled back into the lead using an 11-1 run behind five straight points from Hannah Williams. A three-point play by Hannah Swider gave Wheaton the lead again and Zoe Nordling followed with a three-point play on the ensuing possession to put Wheaton ahead 44-40. Wheaton would lead by as many as five in the third quarter, but Augustana chipped away at the lead and Lambert's lay-up in the final minuted tied the score at 50 heading to the fourth quarter.

Augustana wasted no time taking control of the game, scoring the first eight points of the fourth quarter before Hannah Williams hit a jumper and Kirsti Demski followewed with a three-pointer to pull Wheaton back to within 58-55 with six minutes left. The Thunder would get as close as 61-59 on a fast break lay-up by Willais with five minutes left, but Lambert connected on a three-pointer on the next possession to start a mini 7-2 run to push the lead back up to seven points as the Vikings closed the game on an extended 18-7 run to put the game away for the 79-66 victory.

Mia Lambert led all players with 22 points to lead four Vikings in double figures. Hannah Williams and Kirsten Madsen led the Thunder wtih 13 points apiece and Hannah Frazier finished with 12 points. Madsen grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.