JACKSONVILLE, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team will close out the 2022 calendar year with their final non-conference game of the season as they gear up for a road matchup with the Illinois College Blueboys on Friday, December 30.

Augustana currently sits at 3-9 on the season, recently falling to No. 12 UW-La Crosse by a score of 73-70 on Wednesday. After the Vikings scored the opening bucket of the contest, the visiting Eagles did not trail the rest of the way, despite Augustana pulling within a single point multiple times in both the first and second halves. Matt Hawkins scored nine of his 15 points in the first half and helped lead a late push from the Vikings to cut the halftime deficit to 37-36. 

La Crosse pushed their margin out to as many as eight in the second half, but the Vikings slowly chipped away, getting it within two with just a few seconds remaining. The Eagles went 1-2 from the foul line with about three seconds showing on the clock, but a rebound off the miss was unable to lead to a last-second attempt at the basket as La Crosse held on for the three-point win. Anthony Cooper notched a game-high 19 points on 8-10 shooting, while Hawkins and Evan Ambrose both tallied double-digit scoring as well.

Illinois College enters Friday with an 11-1 record and have won 10 in a row following a loss to Millikin back on November 12. Eight of their wins during their last 10-game stretch have been won by double digits, including a 40-point win in their most recent outing over Northern Vermont-Lyndon. Four different players for the Blueboys are scoring in double figures this season, led by Josh Harris' 15.5 points per game effort. The team currently boasts a plus-16 average scoring margin this year.

Augustana leads the all-time series 16-5, winning last season's encounter by a score of 64-61 at home. Daniel Carr and Matt Hanushewsky combined for 26 points in the win.

Start time is scheduled for 3 pm.