ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team will be back in action at home on Saturday, November 19 when they host the visiting Aurora Spartans inside the Carver Center.

The Vikings (1-1) will have gone a week off since their last contest, an 81-73 road victory over the St. Mary's (Minn.) Cardinals last Saturday. Augie led for most of the game, cushioning their advantage to as many as 22 in the second half. St. Mary's only got the margin under 10 in the final seconds, resulting in the eight-point victory for Augie. Tyler Knuth led the Vikings in scoring with 20 points on 9-12 shooting, while Daniel Carr secured his second double-double in as many games this season with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Matt Hanushewsky and Matt Hawkins both saw success at the free throw line, ending their afternoon with 13 and 12 points, respectively. The Vikings out-rebounded the Cardinals 45-28. 

Carr was named the CCIW Student-Athlete of the Week after averaging 25 points 13.5 rebounds in two games last week.

The Spartans enter Saturday with a 2-1 record so far this season. Aurora stunned North Central in overtime in their last outing, seeing a shot go through the basket with three seconds remaining to seal the 81-79 victory at home. The Spartans dropped their only road contest of the season, falling to Eureka by a final of 79-73. Aurora finished the 2021-22 season with a 5-18 record.

Augustana is 15-2 all-time against Aurora. The Vikings won last year's encounter on the road, defeating the Spartans 82-46. Five Augie players cracked double figures in the win, led by 13 from Nicolas Giliberto.

Start time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. from the Carver Center. Live video and stat links can be found here.