ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team defeated the Wheaton Thunder by a score of 84-81 on Wednesday. 

The Vikings opened the game with a huge offensive run, with five different Vikings scoring in the first four minutes. Maddux Dieckman tipped in a jump shot by Dani Romero to move the gap to 10, while leaving Wheaton scoreless. Augustana saw a 10-point difference twice more before elevating the gap to 18 after eight consecutive points with a jump shot by Dom Rhoden, moving the score to 27-9. Both teams traded shots for the remainder of the half with the Thunder getting within double-digits twice, but Augie led 44-36 entering the halftime break. 

Returning to the court, the teams rallied points with Wheaton inching to a six-point difference twice before five straight shots at the charity strip moved the Vikings to double-digits once again at 54-43. The teams traded shots with a late 8-1 run by the Thunder evening the score at 64-64. A pair of free throws by Ethan Andre pushed Augie ahead, but Wheaton tied the game once more. Back-to-back shots by Marieon Anderson moved the Vikings up by four with six minutes left in the period. Five straight points by Augie stretched the gap to six after Jake Willems found success at the charity line to make a 75-69 score. The visitors drew the score even at 79 apiece before taking their first lead of the night. The teams drew the score even one more before Augustana closed the game with a 4-1 run, with all points coming from the free throw line. 

Four different Vikings scored double-digits in the win, with Rhoden scoring a career-high of 25 points. Anderson followed with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Cam Atkinson notched 11 and Andre Klaver had 10. Ray Maurchie grabbed 11 shots off the glass, while Willems collected three assists. 

With the win, Augie improves to 4-3 on the season and 1-0 in conference action. The Vikings will be back in action on Dec. 13 for a conference battle at Millikin.