ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- Luke Johnson scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half and the Augustana Vikings men's basketball team picked up an 80-64 home victory on Friday over the No. 16 ranked Dubuque Spartans to give first-year head coach Tom Jessee his first win at the helm.

"I am so proud of our players and our staff," Jessee said. "We have really come a long way in a week. There is still a lot of room for growth, but this was a great team effort tonight. We grew up a little bit tonight."

The two teams traded baskets for a majority of the first half, with the Vikings (1-1) grabbing a lead as big as seven points just under eight minutes in. The Spartans (1-1) charged back, eventually securing a lead of their own as big as three before Augie closed out the final eight minutes on a 19-7 run for a 41-34 halftime advantage. Each team attempted 27 shots in the first half, with the Vikings making five more than their counterpart for a shooting mark of just under 60 percent. Dubuque held the advantage at the line, getting there 18 times, but connected on less than half with eight. Augustana attempted just three from the charity stripe in the opening half, knocking down two.

The Spartans shrunk the deficit to just two points on two separate occasions within the first five minutes of the second frame, but never led in the final 20 minutes as the Vikings answered every run with one of their own. Leading 54-53 with 8:33 remaining, the Vikings put together a 14-5 run to push their margin to ten, fueled by seven points from Johnson during that stretch. Dubuque never saw the deficit dip below eight and Augie was able to build on to their lead late in the game, hitting 8-8 free throws in the final four minutes. As a team, the Vikings connected on 18-21 from the charity stripe. The Spartans finished 15-28.

Johnson ended his night with a 7-8 mark from the line and shot 5-9 from the field on his way to his 20-point outing. He also added six rebounds and four assists. Dan Carr was next in line scoring the ball, tallying 16 points and nine rebounds, while Carter Duwa added 15 in his season debut. Augustana made four more baskets than the visitors despite attempting ten fewer shots.

With the win, Augie improves to 1-1 on the season. The team will be back in action on Tuesday, November 16 when they host St. Mary's (Minn.). Tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. from inside the Carver Center.