ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team was victorious in its season opener on Tuesday, never trailing on the way to an 82-70 triumph over the visiting Coe Kohawks.

Augie notched the first seven points of the game to force a quick Coe timeout and later grew its advantage out to double figures around the 12-minute mark. The Kohawks slowly inched back over the next five minutes, trimming the differential down to six points, but consecutive three-pointers by Tyler Knuth moved the margin back out to double-digits at a score of 30-20.  The lead for Augie continued to fluctuate, reaching as high as 12 before Coe cut it to three with under 20 seconds remaining in the half. Staishaun Kelley's floater in the paint before time expired gave Augustana a 48-43 lead after 20 minutes of action. Both teams shot well in the first half, with Coe ending 15-30 from the field and Augie at 19-30. Knuth had 16 of his 21 points in the frame.

The two teams traded baskets for the first five minutes of half two, but the Vikings broke the trend with four straight baskets in the paint to reach their largest lead of the game at 62-49. Ray Maurchie sent in three of the four made shots over the two-minute span, while the defense held Coe without a made field goal for nearly five minutes. The Kohawks got the differential under 10 points just three times the rest of the way, with each instance sitting at a cushion of nine before being countered with Augustana points to send the lead back out to double digits. The Vikings hit six of eight free throws attempts n the final three minutes to maintain their distance and take the 12-point victory.

Both teams cooled off shooting the ball in the second half, with Augie holding Coe under 30 percent and just eight makes on 27 attempts. Three Vikings reached double figures in the win, led by Evan Ambrose's 23 points on 8-13 shooting from the field. Kelley added 12, while Chase Larsen and Mike Hamilton each grabbed seven rebounds.

With the win, Augustana begins the season 1-0. The team will hit the road to take on Dubuque on Saturday.