ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team will face the Aurora Spartans on the road this Thursday, December 30 in their final non-conference contest of the 2021-22 season.
Augustana enters Thursday's matchup having gone a little over a week since their last outing. The Vikings were defeated by the UW-Whitewater Warhawks on December 22 on the road by a score of 82-65. A strong start to the second half for the Vikings helped shrink a double-digit halftime deficit nearly in half, but it was not enough as Whitewater successfully maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way. The Augustana defense cooled off Whitewater in the second half, but the Warhawks managed to finish the contest with a 59 percent shooting effort to go with 60 percent from behind the arc. Augie won the turnover battle, committing three fewer than their counterpart. Three Vikings hit double figures in scoring, led by
Luke Johnson and
Nate Ortiz each with 11.
Tyler Knuth posted a season-best 10 points in 23 minutes.
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Aurora currently sits at 3-6 overall this season, but are 2-2 in their last four played. Their most recent contest back on December 11 resulted in a close 94-92 overtime loss at Lakeland. Their last two scheduled games have been either canceled or postponed due to health and safety concerns and will play their first home game on Thursday since December 4. The Spartans are 0-2 against fellow CCIW schools this season, falling to both Carroll and North Central in November.
Augustana leads the all-time series between the two 14-2. Their last meeting came during the 2018-19 season in Rock Island, resulting in a 93-67 home victory for Augie.
Tip is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
Game coverage at Aurora
Follow @augieathletics on Twitter for in-game updates
