ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- Chase Larsen scored a career-high 25 points and the Augustana Vikings men's basketball team posted their best shooting performance of the season on Saturday night, hitting over 55 percent of their shots in a 92-82 victory over the Carthage Firebirds.

Augustana scored 17 unanswered points, including five consecutive made threes, after Carthage's opening triple to begin the game. The Vikings maintained a double-digit advantage for a majority of the first half, but saw the Firebirds got it within two at 30-28. Augie closed the half on a 15-5 run to lead 45-33 at intermission. Larsen scored 15 of his 25 points in the opening 20 minutes, hitting all six of his shot attempts with a perfect 3-3 mark from behind the three-point line. As a team, Augie connected on 17 of their 28 shots and were 9-14 from downtown in the first half.

It was another fast for the Vikings to begin the second half, stretching their margin out to 20 points on two separate occasions. Leading 59-39 five minutes in, the Vikings endured another scoring burst from the Firebirds as the visitors eventually cut the differential down six due to a 14-0 run. From there, the two teams traded baskets as Augie's lead hovered around the 6-9 point range. With six minutes showing on the clock, a three-pointer by the Firebirds brought the game to one possession at 67-64. The home team responded with an and-one layup from Matt Hanushewsky on the ensuing drive as it spearheaded an Augustana 11-4 spurt to cushion the lead. The Vikings hit 15 of 20 free throws in the second half, ten of which came in the final 90 seconds, holding on for the 92-82 victory.

"This was a great bounce back win," head coach Tom Jessee said of the performance. "I am so proud of the team effort tonight. Coming off two difficult losses, we showed some growth this week in our development and picked up a big win."

Joining Larsen in double figures on the night was Luke Johnson, who finished with 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Hanushewsky was next in line with a season-high 14 points, while Nicolas Giliberto tallied 12 on 4-6 shooting and three made threes. The Vikings ended the night with a 55.4 percent mark from the field and were 56.3 percent from behind the arc. They held the Firebirds to just 30 percent (9-30) shooting from three-point range.

With the victory, Augie improves to 5-4 on the season and 1-1 in CCIW play. The victory is also the sixth straight over Carthage as they improve to 4-0 on their home floor this season. The team will be back in action on Sunday, December 19 when they host their Viking counterparts of North Park. Tip is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. from inside the Carver Center.