DECATUR, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team used a strong second half to run away from the Millikin Big Blue and win its third straight game by a final of 74-52.

Millikin head a lead for the first six minutes of the contest until a three-pointer by Tyler Knuth put the Vikings out in front with under 14 minutes remaining in the opening half. The Big Blue drew even with Augie moments later at 13, but a jumper from Evan Ambrose broke the final deadlock of the game. The lead for the Vikings moved to double figures later in the half, reaching as many as 11 on two different occasions. A 6-0 spurt from the home team in the final two minutes erased a 30-19 deficit and cut it to five before the two teams traded successful possessions to close the half. Augustana led 32-27 at the break after shooting 46 percent from the field and 43 percent from behind the arc. Millikin ended the first half with a 40 percent clip from the floor and hit 3 of 10 looks from deep.

Five straight points from Knuth in the first 90 seconds of the second half pushed the Augie lead back out to double figures, where it stood for the remainder of the contest. Another triple by Knuth around the 16-minute mark capped off a 12-4 run to begin the half before a three by Anthony Cooper extended the cushion out to 16 with 14 minutes to go. It did not take long for the differential to reach 20, with the scoring hitting 59-39 following a layup from Colton Gillingham before the period reached its halfway point. The onslaught continued, with the lead reaching as many as 24 twice. The Vikings shot nearly identical to their first-half mark at 47 percent overall and 40 percent from three, but the defense was the difference maker, holding the Big Blue to just 34 percent shooting and two makes from behind the three-point line. Augustana also allowed just three attempts from the free throw line in the second half and forced 17 turnovers for the game.

Knuth led all scorers with 22 points on six made threes. The six made triples are tied for second-most by a player in the CCIW this season. Staishaun Kelley also added double-digit points with 11 off the bench to go with four steals. A total of 10 Vikings found the scoring column in the win.

With the victory, Augustana improves to 13-8 on the season and 6-6 in conference play. The team will return home to face Elmhurst on Wednesday.