ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team conquered a tough battle against the Hamline Pipers on Sunday. 

Hamline got on the board first, but Jake Willems made back-to-back layups after stealing the Pipers' possession both times. Marieon Anderson kept the momentum with a tip-in layup to move the score to 6-1.  Both teams went back and forth with scores, but Augie never dropped the advantage. Cameron Atkinson moved the gap to as much as six after a successful shot behind the arc. At 10:19, the Vikings began a seven-point run with a layup by Willems, moving the gap to 12 with a score of 25-13. The team saw this difference once more after another fast break layup by Williems. Augie grabbed the final five points of the quarter, with Andre Klaver notching a layup with three seconds remaining to create the largest gap of the half of 13 after 20 minutes of play. 

Returning to the court, the teams traded points with Staishaun Kelley moving the gap to 14 after a layup in the paint to create a score of 39-25. Both teams continued to hold a strong offense, with Augustana never losing its stride. Hamline found six consecutive points with 10 minutes left in the half to get within three points. Kelley tallied two off the free throw line, but the Pipers' 8-3 run to even the score at 53 apiece. Hamline took its only lead after a layup, and Atkinson closed the gap to one after a successful shot at the charity line. The Pipers grabbed two more at the free-throw stripe, but Klaver followed with two of his own to draw the score even at 57-57. The teams tied once more before the Vikings clinched the final three points, all coming from Ray Maurchie at the charity line. 

Willems led the team with 18 points and six steals, while Anderson and Klaver notched 11 apiece. Atkinson also collected double-digit points with 10, and Dani Romero added three assists. As a team, the Vikings shot 37 percent, with 11 steals and 33 rebounds. 

The Vikings will be back in action on Nov. 22 to battle Dubuque at home.