DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team will play in the first of three straight games on the road on Saturday, November 16 when they head north to take on the Dubuque Spartans.

Augie is 1-0 on the new season following an 82-70 home win over Coe on Tuesday. The Vikings never trailed in the victory and used a fast start that saw the game's first seven points go their way. After leading by as many as 12 on two different instances, Augustana saw its lead dwindle down to as low as three right before the end of the half. Staishaun Kelley's floater in the lane with seconds remaining moved the Augie margin out to five after 20 minutes of action. 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.

Three Vikings reached double figures in the win, led by Evan Ambrose's 23 points on 8-13 shooting from the field and Tyler Knuth's 21. Kelley added 12, while Chase Larsen and Mike Hamilton each grabbed seven rebounds.

Dubuque is 1-1 so far this season, recently falling in a close contest against Edgewood on the road by a score of 59-56. The Spartans led by nine at halftime, but lost the advantage six minutes into the second half. The two teams went back and forth before a basket by the Eagles with 47 seconds to go evened the score at 56 apiece. Edgewood sent in a three-pointer with no time showing on the clock to steal the victory. Eight different players scored for Dubuque in the loss, led by Jaylin McCants' 17 points. McCants totaled 32 points and nine rebounds in the team's season-opening victory at Aurora. Saturday will serve as the first home game this season for the Spartans, where they were 11-2 last season. Dubuque ended the 2023-24 campaign with a 21-7 overall mark and qualified for the NCAA DIII Tournament. The Spartans fell in the opening round in St. Louis on a buzzer-beater to Illinois College.

Saturday will be the 13th all-time meeting between the two programs, with Augustana leading the series 9-3. The Spartans earned a home victory over the Vikings two seasons ago by a score of 65-59.

Start time is scheduled for 2 p.m