ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team will remain at home for their next contest on Wednesday, January 19 when they host the No. 12 ranked Elmhurst Bluejays for their third matchup against ranked opponents in four games.
The Vikings are coming off of a narrow 86-82 defeat to the North Central Cardinals on Monday. Despite the close final score, both Augie and North Central found themselves with multi-possession leads throughout the game, but eventually saw a tied contest with just a few minutes remaining. The Cardinals connected on nine made free throws in the final two minutes to help them create a cushion and hang on for the close victory.
Dan Carr led the Vikings in scoring with 20 points to go with 14 rebounds. Three others cracked double figures as
Tyler Knuth had 14,
Carter Duwa 13, and
Nate Ortiz with 10. Augie shot just under 45 percent for the game, but were outscored by eight at the free-throw line. The Vikings are sitting at 8-8 on the season, 3-4 in the CCIW, and are averaging just over 71 points per game.
Elmhurst enters Wednesday ranked No. 12 in the latest
d3hoops top 25 poll. They are coming off a road defeat at No. 3 Illinois Wesleyan by a score of 80-76 in which they led most of the game. The Bluejays sit at 11-3 overall and 3-2 in CCIW action and boast a scoring average of 81 points per game and a margin of plus-13. All three of their losses came away from home. Elmhurst and Augie have two common opponents outside of conference play this season, both defeating Alma and falling on the road to Calvin. Senior guard Jake Rhode leads the team in points at 17.7 per game and assists at an average of 4.3. He posted 30 points in 38 minutes against Illinois Wesleyan last time out.
Augustana leads the all-time series between the two 98-47. The Bluejays have won two of the last three meetings, including an 89-73 victory in Rock Island in their most recent last year. Augustana previously won eight straight against Elmhurst ranging from 2014-19. The Vikings are 8-1 against the Bluejays in the Carver Center since 2014.
Tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. All planning to attend are to adhere to the
Augustana College spectator policy.
Game coverage vs. Elmhurst
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