Box Score
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Junior Danielius Jurgutis (Downers Grove South HS, Darien, Ill.) led five Vikings in double figures with 19 points Saturday night as Augustana opened the 2014 CCIW schedule with an 82-74 win over Carthage at Carver Center. The victory sets up a showdown on Wednesday between the 13th-ranked Vikings and 3rd-rated Illinois Wesleyan, both of whom are 11-1 overall and 1-0 in the league. The Red Men dropped to 7-5 with the loss.
 
Although Carthage led only twice – both briefly in the first half – it was a tight contest throughout. Augustana didn't establish a double-digit advantage until there was 12:22 remaining at 51-41. The Red Men would whittle it down to three (56-53) with 7:20 left on two Mike Kastel free throws, but the hosts pushed it back to 10 with five different players scoring in an 11-4 run. The margin was never under six the rest of the way as the Vikings converted 18 of 21 free throw attempts in the second half.
 
A Hunter Hill (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) three-pointer and a Tayvian Johnson (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) layup got Augustana off to a 5-0 start, but Sean Valentine and Reese Herth answered in kind for Carthage to tie it. That would be the first of five ties before a Jawan Straughter (Plainfield East HS, Bolingbrook, Ill.) three-pointer put the Vikings up 16-13 with 10:16 left in the first half.
 
Carthage grabbed one final lead at 29-28 on a pair of Kevin Sykes free throws with 2:34 left in the half, but Jurgutis and Hill scored four points each as Augustana closed the period on an 8-2 run to lead 36-31 at the break.
 
Hill, Ben Ryan (Washington HS, Washington, Ill.) and Nic Hoepfner (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) each scored 13 points to join Jurgutis in double figures, along with Johnson, who had 11. Ryan had a game-high five rebounds and Hill a game-high three assists. The Vikings finished the night 27 of 48 (.563) from the floor, including 13 of 22 (.591) in the second half. They also knocked down 24 of 30 (.800) free throw attempts on the night.
 
Carthage stayed within striking distance by hitting .510 from the field on 26 of 51 and .421 from three-point range on eight of 19. The Red Men put four men in double figures, led by Herth's 16. Sykes added a dozen and Donte Logan and Malcom Kelly 10 each.
 
Augustana finished with a 30-22 advantage on the glass and each team committed 13 turnovers.
 
On Wednesday, January 8, the third-ranked Titans of Illinois Wesleyan visit Carver Center with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m.