SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Riding a four-game win streak, the Augustana men's basketball team finishes up their non-conference schedule with a Wednesday evening tip-off vs. Hastings (Neb.). The Vikings and Broncos will square up at 7:30 p.m. in the Elmen Center, with the game being part of a men's/women's doubleheader. The Augustana women start the night by taking on Peru State (Neb.) at 5:30 on Wednesday.

Fans interested in purchasing tickets can click here, and anyone not in attendance can watch live video of both games by visiting GoAugie.com/live.

Augustana (7-3, 4-1 NSIC South) rolls into the mid-week match-up playing some of their best basketball of the year, including a pair of home wins last weekend. The Vikings used a big second half for a 91-76 win over Minnesota Crookston and finished the weekend sweep with a 74-60 win over Bemidji State on Sunday. The Vikings, who are averaging 86 points during their four-game win streak, moved into second place in the NSIC South.

Following back-to-back strong weekends, the Vikings have moved into the top-six in multiple conference categories. Augustana is 6th in 3-point field goal percentage, knocking down nearly 42% from downtown. The Vikings are 5th in assist-turnover ratio, 2nd in total rebounds, and 1st in rebounds allowed.

As a team, Augustana is finding success with stops on the defensive end and transition buckets. Over the last four games, Augustana has held each opponent to less than 50% from the field and forced an average of 10 turnovers per game. The turnovers and stops have led to more than 13 points per game off turnovers and 6 fast break points per game.

Although the Vikings core of four freshmen continues to play well, it's the strong performance by a pair of sophomores that have carried the team as of late. Following two-game totals of 46 points, 25 boards, and 9 assists, Tyler Riemersma earned his first career NSIC South Player of the Week honors. The sophomore now leads the team with 17.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1 steal per game. The big man also leads team from the field, shooting 58.5% through 10 games.

Equally impressive was the play of Matt Cartwright. On Saturday vs. Minnesota Crookston, the sophomore was on fire, scoring 19-of-24 points in a six-minute span and finishing the game with 37 points. The single-game performance ranks 10th all-time in program history. On the year, Cartwright is putting up 14.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Wednesday's game with Hastings College marks the final non-conference game of the year for Augustana. Following Wednesday's game, the Vikings will have just over 10 days off before visiting Wayne State on Dec. 30 to resume conference play.

Scouting Hastings:
Playing in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, Hastings (11-4*, 5-3 GPAC) is receiving votes in the latest NAIA national poll. Most recently, the Broncos welcomed in Tabor (KS) on Monday night and rolled to a 99-63 win. Kevin Miller led the team with 16 points. Following a Tuesday tip-off with Nebraska-Kearney, Wednesday's game vs. the Vikings marks the third consecutive night of action for the Broncos.

Through 16 games, Hastings has four players that average double-figures. Bart Hiscock (14.6 ppg) and Kevin Miller (13.1 ppg) lead the program in scoring. As a team, the Broncos are shooting 48.4% and averaging 83.6 points per game, which slots them 6th in the GPAC. Wednesday's matchup could also prove to be a battle of the boards as Hastings is 10th in the NAIA in total rebounds (35.6), and 7th in rebound margin (5.6).

*Record as of Tuesday, Dec. 18

Series History vs. the Broncos:
Augustana and Hastings have only squared up three times in program history. The last matchup was a 69-65 win for Augustana on Dec. 12, 1958. The Vikings own a 2-1 all-time record against the Broncos, with both wins here in Sioux Falls.  

The Fast Break:

• Augustana comes into Wednesday's game with a four-game win streak. Over the last four games, Augustana is averaging more than 86 points per game.
• In three all-time matchups, the Vikings are 2-1 vs. Hastings. The last time they played was more than 60 years ago (Dec. 1958)
• With a record of 294-169 in 16 seasons at Augustana, Tom Billeter is now just six wins from 300 as a Viking.
• Billeter has led Augustana to eight NCAA Tournament appearances, including five trips in the last seven seasons.
• Augustana is hauling in 11.6 offensive boards per game, which is 2nd in the NSIC and has led to an average of 12 second-chance points per night.
• Augustana is 6th in 3-point field goal percentage, knocking down nearly 42% from downtown.
• The Vikings also stand top-five in the NSIC in three other categories. Augustana is 5th in assist-turnover ratio, 2nd in total rebounds, and 1st in rebounds allowed.
• The Vikings are averaging nearly 30 points in the paint per game.
• Following two-game totals of 46 points, 25 boards, and 9 assists, Tyler Riemersma earned his first career NSIC South Player of the Week honors.
• Riemersma leads the team in nearly every offensive category, averaging 17.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1 steal per game.
• Riemersma is 2nd in the league in rebounding and 4th in field goal percentage.
• Matt Cartwright had a career game on Saturday vs. Minnesota Crookston. The sophomore finished with 37 points (12-18) and 8 rebounds. The 37 points stand 10th all-time for a single game in program history.
• Cartwright is 23rd in the NSIC in points per game at 14.0.
• A pair of freshmen, Michael Schaefer (16) and Trevor Hanson (17) both hit double-digits over the weekend as well.  
• Against Minnesota Crookston, Augustana finished a season-best 22-23 from the line in the win. The 95.7% is 3rd all-time in program history for a single game and breaks an eight-year record.
• Overall, the Vikings are 4th in the NSIC in free throw percentage at 74.7%.
• Augustana made at least one 3-point field goal in each of the last 436 games. The last time the Vikings did not make a 3-pointer came on Jan. 24, 2004, a 79-69 loss against North Dakota in the Elmen Center.
• At least one Viking scored in double figures in each of the last 260 games. The last time an Augie player did not score at least 10 points in a game came on March 3, 2010, in a 75-52 loss to Wayne State at the Elmen Center in the NSIC quarterfinals, when Lee Stephens led the Vikings with 8 points.
• On this year's roster, the Vikings have five true freshmen, two transfers, and 10 of 16 student-athletes have never played together.
• With 10 players from last years roster no longer on the team, the Vikings lost 1,768 of last years 2,459 points. That's 71.8% of the scoring from 2017-2018.
• In the 2018-2019 NSIC preseason poll, the Vikings received 127 points and were picked to finished seventh overall.
• The Vikings finished 16-14 last year, locking in their 12th straight winning season.
• Augustana men's basketball has played 2,176 games in school history, and the program all-time record is 1,083-1,096 (.496).