Rock Island, Ill. -- After dispatching of the Elmhurst Bluejays in record-setting fashion on Saturday evening, the Thunder women's basketball team headed back out on the road tonight to face the Augustana Vikings. Wheaton began the contest brightly, but the hosts ended the first quarter on a 10-0 run and never trailed from that point on in eventually securing a comfortable victory. Tonight's loss means that Wheaton's record at the midway point of the CCIW schedule is 10-7 overall and 3-5 in conference play.
Augustana shot a solid 45% from the floor in Wednesday's matchup, including a notable 61.5% mark in the fourth quarter to help stave off any potential comeback from the visitors. Wheaton posted a 53.3% tally in the second period but failed to rise above 33% shooting in any of the other three frames and was forced to settle for a 36% total on the night. The Thunder did hold the advantage in three-point shooting, however, as the team sank ten of its 21 attempts from beyond the arc and did not allow any threes from Augustana in the second half. Wheaton also had the better night at the foul line, making 78% of its free throws compared to a 69% figure for the Vikings. The guests stole the ball one more time than Augie managed to, but the home side enjoyed advantages in all other statistical categories on Wednesday.
Kate Oliver had a strong performance tonight, leading Wheaton in points, rebounds, and steals, with totals of 14, five, and three, respectively. The sophomore made five of her seven shot attempts and sank a game-high four three-pointers.
Annie Tate and
Alyssa Faberowski were the other double-digit scorers for the Thunder on Wednesday, posting tallies of 11 and ten points, respectively. The duo each contributed three assists and three boards, as well.
Jenna Hunter pitched in with five points and three rebounds off the bench, and
Annika Richardson accounted for both of Wheaton's blocks in the game.
The Thunder claimed a 6-2 lead early on with consecutive three-pointers from Faberowski and Oliver. Tate then joined the party with a triple of her own to make it 9-4 in Wheaton's favor just over three minutes in. After Augie tallied the subsequent four points, a jumper in the lane from Tate pushed the guests' lead back up to three points. But the Vikings blanked their visitors on their next five trips down the floor and started to heat up offensively, which allowed the hosts to build an 18-11 advantage at the end of the first quarter. The second frame was the highest-scoring period on Wednesday, with Wheaton posting 20 points and cutting Augie's lead down to two on multiple occasions. The Thunder finally got back on level-pegging at 26-26 when
Ana Mooney sank a jumper with three minutes to play in the half. But the home side again ended the quarter well, this time conjuring up an 11-5 stretch which included a three-ball on the final possession of the half to earn a 37-31 halftime lead.
Augustana scored the first basket of the second half, and Wheaton twice cut the deficit back down to six points. But an 8-0 run in the middle of the third quarter would prove decisive, as the Vikings pushed forward to a 50-36 advantage and led by double-figures for the remainder of the game.
The Thunder will look to pick up their second CCIW road win on Saturday afternoon when both Wheaton basketball teams head to Naperville for a doubleheader against North Central. Tip-off between the Cardinals and the Thunder is slated for 2:00 PM.
