Box Score

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – For the second day in a row, sophomore guard Nolan Ebel (Regis Jesuit HS, Englewood, Colo.) helped spark a second-half offensive outburst that propelled Augustana to a win on the road Saturday. The 18th-ranked Vikings defeated Calvin 79-60 at Van Noord Arena to move to 3-0 on the season. The host Knights suffered their first loss after a 41-point win over Finlandia on Friday.
 
The first half was tightly played, with six lead changes and five ties. A pair of Michael Welch free throws gave the hosts their final lead at 17-16 with 6:39 to play before halftime. Junior center A.J. Dollmeyer (Polo HS, Polo, Ill.) answered with a layup off a Brett Benning (Dakota HS, Davis, Ill.) assist and Augustana wouldn't surrender the lead again.
 
A Dylan Sortillo (Bettendorf HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) three-pointer with 2:16 left pushed the Viking lead to 27-22—the biggest for either team in the first stanza. Benning's jumper just before the buzzer equaled that five-point margin as Augustana took a 31-26 lead to the break. Dollmeyer led the Vikings with eight first-half points.
 
The visitors began to pull away shortly after halftime. Senior Jacob Johnston (Erie HS, Cordova, Ill.) and sophomore Pierson Wofford (Springfield Lutheran HS, Springfield, Ill.) each scored to extend the advantage to 35-27. A field goal by Calvin's Austin Bykerk stemmed the tide temporarily, but Sortillo drained another trey and sophomore Chrishawn Orange (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) scored in transition to push the lead to double digits at 40-29.
 
The Knights cut the deficit to seven, but Ebel tallied a rare four-point play with 14:41 to play, sparking an 8-0 run which also included a pair of Wofford layups. The margin ballooned over 20 (61-40) on consecutive Benning buckets and when Ebel knocked down his third trey of the half at the 7:41 mark, Augustana led 67-43. Wofford fed freshman Donovan Ferguson (Downers Grove South HS, Darien, Ill.) for a dunk with 3:03 to play to give the Vikings their biggest lead of the contest at 77-49.
 
After shooting 64% from the floor in the second half at Alma on Friday, Coach Grey Giovanine's squad blistered the nets at a 75% (21-28) rate in the second stanza Saturday. For the game, Augustana hit 34 of 56 (.607) from the field, five of 10 (.500) from long range and six of eight (.750) from the foul line. The visitors held a 25-23 edge on the glass and committed 13 turnovers to 16 for Calvin. The Knights shot .457 (21-46) from the field, .333 (3-9) from beyond the arc and .682 (15-22) from the line.
 
Ebel led a balanced attack with a career-high 16 points and a half-dozen Vikings tallied eight to 10 points. Dollmeyer, Johnston and Benning each scored 10, Orange nine and Wofford and Sortillo eight each. Ferguson's four rebounds led the team, as did Johnston's four assists and Wofford's three steals. Michael Wilks led Calvin with 12 points and Welch added 11.
 
Augustana will play its home opener at Carver Center on Tuesday, November 22. The Fontbonne Griffins will be the opponent, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m.