Augustana (8-3, 4-1 NSIC) comes into Sunday's contest on a five-game win streak and is playing some of their best basketball of the season. Over the last five outings, the Vikings are scoring an average of 87.3 points and are pulling down nearly 42 rebounds per game.



Augustana has also locked in on the defensive end, limiting the opposition to less than 46% from the field and forcing 10 turnovers per game during their win streak. With defensive stops, Augustana's transition offense is finding full stride. In the Vikings most recent win, Augustana scored a season-high 13 points on the fast break.

Sunday's matchup is also particularly important from an NSIC standings perspective. Although it's still early, Augustana is currently second in the NSIC south, sitting one game behind Wayne State (10-1, 5-0). The Wildcats, who own the longest NSIC win streak at nine games, are in first place and own the league's only unbeaten conference record. With a win on Sunday, Augustana moves into a tie for first in the NSIC south and even the season series, 1-1. Earlier this season, Augustana opened conference play with a 65-54 loss to Wayne State in Sioux Falls.

Through 11 games this season, the Vikings are finding success all around the court. The Vikings are knocking down nearly 40% of their shots from downtown, but also putting up nearly 30 points in the paint per game. With five players dishing out over two assists per game, the Vikings are 6th in the NSIC with an average 14.6 assists per game.

Augustana makes one of their biggest impacts on the glass where their third in the league in rebounding, pulling down more than 40 boards per game. Augustana's 40.1 total rebounds per game stand 45th in the nation for DII. With more than 12 offensive rebounds per game, the Vikings are averaging 10 second-chance points per night.

Individually, sophomore transfer Tyler Riemersma continues to lead the team with 17.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1 steal per game. In rebounding alone, Riemersma is 29th in the nation in boards per game. With an average of 21 points over the last three games, Matt Cartwright has found his footing and is making his case for one of the best sharpshooters in the league. Through 11 games, Cartwright is putting up 14.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

A pair of freshman, Michael Schaefer and Dylan LeBrun, are both coming off career games the last time the Vikings played. Schaefer led all players with a career-high 23 points and 11 rebounds, and LeBrun dropped a career-best 22 points and 12 boards in a win over Hastings.

Sunday's tip-off vs. Wayne State also marks the beginning of a three-game road trip for the Vikings. Following this weekend, Augustana will visit Southwest Minnesota State on Friday, Jan. 4th, and Sioux Falls on Saturday, Jan. 5th.

Scouting Wayne State:
One of the early season surprises of the Northern Sun, Wayne State is out to a 10-1 start and a 5-0 conference record. Wayne State's only loss this season came at Central Missouri, 73-67. Wayne State's success is due in part to their defensive effort. The Wildcats lead the NSIC and stand 9th in the nation in defensive scoring, allowing just 62 points per game. Wayne State forces nearly 17 turnovers per game, and their +4.82 turnover margin leads the league.

On offensive, Wayne State has five players that average double-figures, led by Trevin Joseph at more than 15.2 points per game. As a team, Wayne State is shooting better than 49% on the season, good for fourth in the NSIC. The Wildcats 8.1 steals per game is 40th in the nation.

Series vs. the Wildcats:
Although Wayne State scooped an 11-point win over Augustana earlier this season, the Vikings still hold a 31-17 all-time advantage over Wayne State. When playing on the road in Wayne, Nebraska, the Vikings hold a 13-10 advantage. More recently, the Vikings have won four of the last five games in Rice Auditorium.

Earlier this season, the two sides squared in what was a defensive battle. Augustana recorded three players in double-figures, but Wayne State limited the Vikings to just 33% shooting for the entire game. Although the Vikings limited the Wildcat offense, Wayne State pulled away late in the second half for a 65-54 win.

The Fast Break:

• Augustana comes into Wednesday's game with a five-game win streak. Over the last five games, Augustana is averaging more than 86 points per game.
• In 48 all-time matchups, the Vikings are 31-17 vs. Wayne State. Augustana has won four of the last five games in Rice Auditorium in Wayne, Nebraska.
• With a record of 295-169 in 16 seasons at Augustana, Tom Billeter is now just five wins from 300 as a Viking.
• Billeter is also standing at 392 career wins, needing eight more to reach 400.
• Augustana is hauling in 12.1 offensive boards per game, which is 2nd in the NSIC and has led to an average of 12 second-chance points per night.
• Augustana's 40.1 total rebounds per game stand second in the NSIC and 45th in the nation for DII.
• Augustana is 6th in the NSIC in 3-point field goal percentage, knocking down nearly 42% from downtown.
• The Vikings are shooting 77% from the free throw line, which is 4th in the conference.
• 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.
• Augustana's is averaging nearly 30 points in the paint per game.
• Tyler Riemersma leads the program in points (17.3), rebounds (9.5), assists (2.80) and steals (1) per game.
• Riemersma's 9.5 rebounds per game are 29th in the nation.
• Matt Cartwright is scoring an average of 21 points per game over the last three outings.
• A pair of freshman, Michael Schaefer and Dylan LeBrun, are both coming off career games. In a win over Hastings, Schaefer led all players with a career-high 23 points and 11 rebounds, and LeBrun dropped a career-best 22 points and 12 boards.
• Augustana made at least one 3-point field goal in each of the last 437 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 261 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 2,210 games in school history, and the program all-time record is 1,090-1,120 (.493).