ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team used a late second half run to earn their second consecutive win on Wednesday, defeating the visiting Wheaton Thunder by a score of 67-64.

After trading baskets to begin the game, the Vikings quickly took control of the opening half with a 9-0 surge. Augustana led for all but 27 seconds in the first, leading by as many as a 14 with just under six minutes remaining. Wheaton slowly inched back over the course of the next four minutes, using a 10-0 scoring run to bring the margin within four. A last-second three-pointer by the Thunder cut the Augie lead in half heading into the break at a 33-30 score. Both teams shot identical through the first 20 minutes, each connecting on 44 percent from the field, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and a perfect effort at the free throw line. Wheaton made three additional shots from deep to help catch back up to Augustana, while the Vikings held the shooting advantage overall with two more made shots to go with two extra free throws.

The Thunder grabbed their first lead since the opening minutes with a three-pointer five minutes into the second to bring the score to 39-37. From there, the two teams battled back-and-forth until a quick 6-0 spurt from the visitors moved a two-point lead to eight at the halfway point. Augustana's defense buckled down in response, holding Wheaton scoreless over the seven-and-a-half minutes to flip the lead in its favor. After evening the score at 51, the Vikings saw six points from Evan Ambrose over the span of three minutes to surge out in front by as many as eight with just over a minute remaining. Augie's scoring run reached 19-3 and lasted nearly nine minutes. The team hit five of six free throws in the final 60 seconds to hang on for the three-point victory.

Three players hit double figures for Augustana, led by Tyler Knuth's 20 points on 6-10 shooting. Ambrose and Colton Gillingham contributed 13 and 10 points, while Chase Larsen narrowly missed a double-double with eight points and 10 boards. The Vikings closed out the win with an 18-19 effort from the charity stripe.

With the win, Augie improves to 5-9 on the season and 2-3 in the CCIW. The Vikings will remain home for their next contest on Sunday, January 7 when they host Illinois Wesleyan.