ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team earned their third straight win at home on Saturday, defeating the visiting Illinois Wesleyan Titans by a final of 89-80 from inside the Carver Center.

The Vikings never trailed in the contest, jumping out to a quick 7-0 lead thanks to scores from three different players. Illinois Wesleyan trimmed the margin to three points over the course of the next two minutes, but that would be as close as they got as the Vikings quickly pushed their advantage back out to multiple possessions. Halfway through the first, Augustana notched their first double-digit lead at 21-11 before a late 9-3 scoring outburst in the final two minutes moved it to a 15-point advantage at the break. 

Eight different Vikings secured at least two points in the opening 20 minutes, led by eight from Matt Hanushewsky. Five Augie members had five or more points in the first half, while holding the Titans to just 31 percent shooting from the floor and 15 percent from behind the three-point line.

Illinois Wesleyan grabbed six of the first seven points scored in the second half to close the gap to 10 points, but the Vikings responded with an 11-1 spurt of their own to stretch the differential to 20 points, the largest of the game. On two different occasions, the Titans cut the score back down to an 11-point game, but it wasn't until the 1:17 mark that the margin dipped below that. A late three with just seconds left brought the score under 10 for just the second time in the second half, resulting in the 89-80 victory for Augustana.

Fresh off of a season-best 14 points on Wednesday, Hanushewsky followed it up with another top-scoring output with 17 points. Tyler Knuth led all Vikings on the night, tallying 20 points on over 50 percent shooting. Matt Hawkins and Chase Larsen each added 14, while Daniel Carr narrowly missed out on a double-double, ending with nine points and 11 rebounds. As a team, the Vikings shot 54.4 percent on the evening and 43 percent from behind the arc. The team also converted 18 of their 22 attempts from the free-throw line.

With the win, the Vikings improve to 7-13 overall and 5-6 in the CCIW. The team will remain home for their next contest on Wednesday, February 1 when they host the No. 7 ranked Wheaton Thunder. Start time is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the Carver Center.