Box Score

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Senior Jacob Johnston (Erie HS, Cordova, Ill.) scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds Tuesday to lead 18th-ranked Augustana to a 75-69 season-opening win over MacMurray at Wall Gymnasium. Junior Dylan Sortillo (Bettendorf HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) chipped in with 17 points and sophomore Brett Benning (Dakota HS, Davis, Ill.) added another 15 off the bench. The Vikings—1-0 on the year—travel to Michigan this weekend, taking on 14th-ranked Alma on Friday, November 18 at 6:30 p.m. central standard time.
 
With the exception of a brief first-half lead and a 49-all tie six minutes into the second half, the hosts trailed for the first 29 minutes of the contest. However, a Taten Musso three-pointer with 10:24 to play gave the Highlanders their first lead of the second half. The advantage reached three on two occasions before a Johnston trey at the 8:09 mark tied it at 62-all and another by Benning 1:20 later gave Augustana back the lead for good.
 
After a pair of Brent Long free throws drew MacMurray to within 67-66, Johnston answered with two more buckets for a 71-66 Vikings lead with 3:42 to play. Highlander Tim Frazier hit a layup and then the second of two free throws to get his team to within a bucket, but Augustana senior Michael Hoekstra (Bishop McNamara HS, Saint Anne, Ill.) hit a huge put-back with just over a minute to play and two Benning free throws with nine seconds left sealed the victory.
 
Sophomore Chrishawn Orange (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) hit a three-pointer for the game's first basket and, except for a 29-28 deficit for 13 seconds late in the first half, the Vikings held that lead for the next 25 minutes of play. The advantage reached eight on three occasions in the opening stanza, the last time (25-17) on a Sortillo bucket with eight minutes left. Johnston drained two free throws with 18 seconds on the clock to put Augustana up 40-34 at intermission.
 
Of Johnston's game-high 21 points, 15 came in the second half. In addition to the three Vikings in double figures, junior A.J. Dollmeyer (Polo HS, Polo, Ill.) added eight points and a game-high eight rebounds. Long led MacMurray with 20 points and eight boards.
 
For the game, Augustana shot .410 from the field on 25 of 61, including eight of 26 (.308) from beyond the arc. The Vikings hit 17 of 22 (.773) from the foul line. The Highlanders hit 24 of 48 (.500) from the field, four of 11 (.364) from three-point range and 17 of 20 (.850) from the line. Coach Grey Giovanine's club outrebounded its hosts 29-19 and committed just eight turnovers to 10 for the Highlanders.