Tuesday evening on the campus of Aurora University brought a new era to Spartan men's basketball team as the AU bench had a new leader for the first time in a long time with Lance Robinson under the helm. Robinson's Spartans defeated Millikin University 87-63 with the first men's game played on the newly named Lancaster Court in Thornton Gymnasium.
 
THE BASICS:
FINAL SCORE: Aurora University 87, Millikin University 63
LOCATION: Lancaster Court in Thornton Gymnasium – Aurora, Illinois
RECORDS: Aurora University 1-0 overall; Millikin University 0-1 overall.
ATTENDANCE: 703
 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
AU Head Coach Lance Robinson won his first game in his first collegiate head coaching appearance.
AU won the first game on the newly named Lancaster Court.
All 16 Spartans played in the game.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Spartans started strong with a 5-0 just a minute into the game and never looked back. AU would lead 8-0 when Millikin called their first timeout.
The Spartans continued to play well, building a 15-2 lead five minutes into the game.
The AU lead grew to a first-half high of 20 at 33-13 with just under 8 minutes left in the half.
Heading into half, the Spartans were up on the Big Blue 40-30 as the Spartans saw the lead dwindle as they had foul trouble become a factor.
Just as they had done to start the game, AU jumped out quickly in the early part of the second-half. A 13-4 run pushed the lead to 19 with 16:10 to play.
The Spartans maintained a comfortable double-digit lead throughout the second-half before seeing the lead grow past 20 in the final four minutes.
The Spartans finished the job with an 87-63 win.
 
FOR THE SPARTANS
All five Spartan starters scored in double figures.
Marcus Myers led the Spartans with 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Max Vickers dropped 16 points and pulled down five rebounds.
Jovonn Griffin had 13 points, five assists and three steals.
Tyler Carlson and Pat Kramp each had 11 points.
 
SPARTAN STAT LEADERS
POINTS: Marcus Myers (21), Max Vickers (16) and Jovonn Griffin (13)
REBOUNDS: Marcus Myers (7) and Max Vickers (5)
ASSISTS: Jovonn Griffin (5) and Marcus Myers (4)
STEALS: Marcus Myers and Jovonn Griffin (3)
BLOCKS: Henry Hudson (1)
 
UP NEXT:
Next action for the Spartan men's basketball team comes on Friday, November 18 when they travel to Loras College. Game time is set for 5:00 p.m. in Bloomington, Illinois.