Box Score
WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. – Augustana scored the game's first eight points and went on to lead wire to wire in a 71-58 win over Wisconsin-La Crosse Saturday at the JustAgame Fieldhouse. The 13th-ranked Vikings improve to 9-1 on the season, while the Eagles suffered just their third loss in 10 outings.
 
Junior guard Danielius Jurgutis (Downers Grove South HS, Darien, Ill.) started the contest by knocking down a jumper and then coming up with a steal and layup. Sophomores Hunter Hill (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) and Tayvian Johnson (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) added consecutive layups and Augustana led 8-0 two and a half minutes in.
 
A conventional three-point play by La Crosse's Jared Staege at the 13:54 mark of the first half got the Eagles to within 10-7, but the Vikings responded with a 19-5 run. Seven different Augustana players scored during the spurt, which gave Coach Grey Giovanine's club a 29-12 lead. The Eagles answered with eight straight points, getting the deficit under double digits on a Braden Tice three-pointer, but a pair of Kevin Schlitter (Maine South HS, Park Ridge, Ill.) layups capped a 6-1 Viking run to end the half with Augustana leading 35-21.
 
The lead was built largely on defense and rebounding. The Vikings held UWL to just eight first-half field goals in 24 attempts (.333), forced eight Eagle turnovers and pounded them by a 22-12 margin on the glass.
 
After shooting 15 of 34 (.441) from the floor and three of six (.500) from the line in the first half, Augustana held off La Crosse after intermission by hitting .667 (10 of 15) from the field and nailing 15 of 20 (.750) free throw attempts.
 
A Lance Collom layup at the 14:08 mark got UWL within seven at 42-35, but that's as close as the Eagles would get. Hill's three-pointer with 8:56 remaining put the Vikings up 51-39 and the lead wouldn't shrink below double digits again.
 
Augustana controlled things inside, finishing with a 34-24 advantage in rebounds and outscoring La Crosse 40-22 in the paint. The Vikings shot over 50 percent from the field for the seventh consecutive game, finishing 25 of 49 (.510) from the floor. Their success in the paint resulted in just eight three-point attempts, three of which they converted. Defensively, Augustana held the Eagles to .400 (20 of 50) shooting from the field and .261 (six of 23) from three-point range, well below their season averages of .483 and .447, respectively.
 
After relatively quiet offensive first halves, Hill and sophomore Ben Ryan (Washington HS, Washington, Ill.) each scored 11 of their game-high 13 points in the second stanza. Johnson was also in double figures with a dozen and Jurgutis scored all nine of his points in the first half. Ryan grabbed a game-high eight boards and Johnson seven. Calahan Skogman led UWL with 13 points and eight rebounds.
 
The Vikings are back at the JustAgame facility on Sunday, December 29 to close out the non-conference portion of their schedule. Wisconsin-Oshkosh will be the opponent in a 5:30 p.m. contest.