GAME STATS PICTURED ABOVE: Nate Haynes scored 18 points and grabbed 17 points and Caleb DeMoss hit four three-pointers in Wheaton's 76-70 victory at #14-Augustana on Saturday night.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Rock Island, Ill.- The Wheaton men's basketball team reeled off its fourth straight victory on Saturday night with a 76-70 victory at #14-ranked Augustana on Saturday night. With the victory, Wheaton remains tied atop the CCIW with an overall mark of 14-6 and 7-2 in conference play. Augustana dropped its second straight at home and fell to 15-5 overall and 5-4 in conference play. Wheaton will host Carthage on Wednesday night at King Arena in a first place battle in the CCIW.

Wheaton shot 49% (24-49) from the field and hit six of 19 (35.3%) three-point attempts and 22-31 (71%) from the free throw line. The Vikings were 43.5% (27-62) from the field and 4-11 (36.4%) from the three-point line. Augustana made 12 of 18 (66.7%) free throw attempts.

With the game tied for the third time in the first five minutes, Wheaton went on a 9-0 run over the next two and a half minutes capped by a lay-up and three-pointer by Caleb DeMoss to take a 17-8 lead. Augustana would cut the lead back to four but the Thunder responded by pushing the lead up to 11. A strong defensive effort limited the scoring down the stretch but Wheaton maintained a 35-25 lead into the halftime break.

Augustana cut the lead to four early in the second half but would get no closer and managed to push the lead back into double-digits with another DeMoss three-pointer and a pair of free throws by Tyler Peters (PICTURED RIGHT) to take a 59-46 lead with 8:18 to play. A steal and breakaway dunk by Peters with 4:40 left gave Wheaton its biggest lead of the night at 14 points before the Vikings ran off six straight points to cut the lead back to eight.

Trailing by 11 with 2:23 to play, Augustana ran off seven straight points in just a minute and 13 seconds to make the score 70-66. Trailing by four, Augustana's Kevin Schlitter missed a pair of free throws with 53 seconds left, allowing Wheaton to ice the game from the free throw line and earn the 76-70 victory and the season sweep of the Vikings.

Nate Haynes led posted season highs in points with 18 and rebounds with 17 to lead the Thunder. Tyler Peters scored all 18 of his points in the second half. Brayden Teuscher scored 16 and Caleb DeMoss added 14 points, including four three-pointers. Both Haynes and Peters were 8-12 from the free throw line. Ben Ryan posted a double-double for Augustana with 14 points and 12 rebounds and Hunter Hill also poured in 14 points for the Vikings. Kevin Schlitter and Griffin Pils each scored 11 points.

Wheaton will play host to a battle for CCIW supremacy on Wednesday night when the Thunder (14-6, 7-2 CCIW) host the Carthage Red Men (14-6, 7-2) at King Arena at 7 PM.