ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team secured the 77-76 win over the Millikin Big Blue on Saturday in the Carver Center. 

The Vikings grabbed the early lead after a 5-3 run in the first minute and a half, but 30 seconds later, Millikin drew the score even at five apiece. The teams tied three more times before Augie scored eight straight points, moving the difference to eight with a score of 19-11. The Big Blue followed with eight of their own to draw the score even at 19-19 with 7:59 on the clock. Millikin continued their scoring run to lead by seven a minute later. Five straight layups by Augie moved the differential to one at 26-25, but the visitors pulled ahead once more. At 2:43, Cam Atkinson knocked down a three-point shot before a layup by Caden Workman tied the score at 30. The teams traded shots with the score drawing even again with 29 seconds left on the clock. The Vikings converted a 3-2 run in the final seven seconds of the half to lead 38-37 after 20 minutes of action. 

Returning to the court, Millikin grabbed the first seven points to regain the advantage with a score of 44-38. Augie followed with seven of their own points with a layup by Andre Klaver, snatching the lead at 14:42. The Big Blue grabbed a three-point shot before two shots at the charity line by Jake Willems drew the score even at 47-47. The Vikings took the upper hand again after two more free throws, but Millikin tied the game a minute later at 49-49. The Big Blue pulled ahead before 11 straight points moved Augie ahead by double-digits with 9:07 remaining on the clock. A layup by Dani Romeo created the largest gap of 11, 15 seconds later. The Big Blue converted a 12-2 run to move the visitors within one at 6:13 with a score of 64-63. Successful shots by Eli Aldana and Atkinson pulled the Vikings to a six-point difference before Atkinson and Aldana collected another three-pointer, respectively, to move the gap back to double-digits at 75-65. Millikin found the next 10 points to overtake the advantage with 37 seconds on the clock. After an Augustana timeout, Klaver put up the final points before blocking the Big Blue's final shot to seal the 77-76 victory.

Three different Vikings scored double-digits in the win, with Klaver leading with 20 points and four assists. Willems followed with 17 points, while Atkinson had 11 points. Klaver, Willems, and Atkinson grabbed six shots off the glass, respectively. Romero finished the night with seven assists.

With the win, Augie improves to 7-5 on the season and 2-1 in conference play. The Vikings will be back in action on Wednesday for a road matchup against Illinois Wesleyan.