Box Score

DECATUR, Ill. – Augustana survived some frantic moments at the end but were able to hold off Millikin and pick up a milestone 71-68 victory on Saturday, January 24 in Decatur, Illinois. The Vikings gave veteran head coach Grey Giovanine his 300^th career victory at the helm of the Blue & Gold.
 
Four Vikings ended the game in double figures and the Vikings pounded the Big Blue on the backboards to the tune of a 33-22 advantage. A total of 60 free throws were shot in the game which saw a total of 49 fouls called on the two teams.
 
Junior Ben Ryan (Washington HS, Washington, Ill.) led Augustana in scoring with 16 points as he went seven of nine from the floor and dished off three assists. Junior Hunter Hill (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) scored 15 points and his seven of eight performance from the free throw line was crucial. Junior Griffin Pils (Libertyville HS, Libertyville, Ill.) and junior Brandon Motzel (Carmel HS, Buffalo Grove, Ill.) also had 10 points.
 
Giovanine, who took over as the head coach prior to the 1999-00 season, now has a record of 300-116 during his Augustana career and he is 380-203 overall as a collegiate head coach.
 
For a while it appeared as if the Vikings were going to cruise to victory and allow Giovanine a chance to breathe easy down the stretch. They led by 10 points (36-26) at halftime and held Millikin to just .292 (7-24) shooting from the field in the first 20 minutes.
 
In the second half, that all changed as the Big Blue made 12 of 19 (.632) shots from the floor and tightened things considerably at the end. Ryan made one of two free throws with 4:14 left and Augustana led by 13 points (65-52). From that point on, however, Millikin outscored the Vikings 16-6 and had the lead down to two points at 1:47 (65-63), :55 (67-65) and :21 (69-67).
 
With just six seconds remaining, the margin was a single point (69-68) after the Big Blue's Nathan Biggs hit one of two free throws. After Biggs' free throw Pils sank two charity tosses to push the lead up to the final score (71-68). Each time Millikin cut the margin to two points down the stretch, Augustana had an answer.
 
When TJ Griffin scored at 1:47 to make it 65-63, Ryan hit a basket at 1:24 to make it 67-63. After a Biggs bucket at :55 trimmed the margin to 67-65, Hill nailed a pair of free throws with :29 left to bump the margin up to 69-65.
 
With :21 remaining TJ Sims hit a pair of free throws for Millikin to make it 69-67 and the Big Blue forced an Augustana turnover. With six seconds to go Biggs was fouled and had a chance to tie it but made just one of two free throws. Pils then sealed things with his two freebies.
 
Sims led Millikin with 33 points as he was nine of 13 from the field, including two of three from three point range and 13 of 13 from the charity stripe.
 
Augustana is now 16-2 overall and 6-1 in the CCIW while Millikin falls to 7-11 and 2-5. The Vikings will play at Elmhurst on Wednesday, January 28 with a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.