ROCK ISLAND, ILL.—The Carthage College women's basketball team traveled to Augustana College for their first road contest of the 2016-17 season on Saturday evening. The Lady Reds were in pursuit of a three-game win streak, and to spoil Augustana's undefeated 7-0 overall record.
 
The Lady Red's defense had to lock down a Viking team that averaged 92.7 points per game, which ranked second among NCAA Division III women's basketball programs. While Carthage held Augustana to less than that amount, they couldn't outscore them in an 83-68 loss.
 
The Lady Reds fall to 5-4, 2-1 CCIW while the Vikings improve to 8-0, 3-0 CCIW.
 
Augustana 83, Lady Reds 68
 
The Lady Reds set the tone in the first quarter as they held a pair of eight-point advantages. The first one occurred at the 4:25 mark of the opening frame when Rachel Szydlowski dished a pass to a wide-open Monica Masini, who converted on a fast break jumper to make the score 13-5.
 
Szydlowski executed an and-one play with 3:05 left in the first quarter to maintain an eight-point cushion for Carthage at 21-13.
 
That lead slowly dissolved until Izzy Anderson's layup at the 7:46 mark of the first quarter gave Augustana their first advantage of the game at 31-30. Carthage and Augustana traded leads three times for the remainder of the frame en route to a 42-42 tie at halftime.
 
Morgan Vukovich opened the third quarter with a pair of jumpers to help the Lady Reds hold a 46-44 lead at the 8:21 mark. That was the final Carthage advantage of the game as Augustana closed the frame with a 21-8 run to cruise to a 65-54 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Vukovich tallied eight points for the Lady Reds in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough to propel them in an 83-68 loss to Augustana College.
 
Carthage tallied a 28-of-69 (.406) mark from the field while the Vikings generated a 29-of-66 (.439) figure. Vukovich registered a double-double with a season-high 20 points, and a career-high 13 boards. Masini was the only other Lady Red to score in double-figures with 12 points. Bailey Gilbert paced the Carthage defense with four steals.
 
The Lady Reds will have a week off from competition before hosting Olivet College on Sunday, December 18 at 2:00 p.m.