Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana put six players in doubles figures Tuesday night and won its 2016-17 home opener 106-66 over Fontbonne at Carver Center. Coach Grey Giovanine's Vikings improved to 4-0 on the season, while the visiting Griffins dropped to 0-2.
 
A pair of Jacob Johnston (Erie HS, Cordova, Ill.) buckets in the lane keyed an 8-0 opening run. Jeff Smith and Kris McCann each had a field goal for Fontbonne before Augustana went on another 8-0 run, capped by Nolan Ebel's (Regis Jesuit HS, Englewood, Colo.) conventional three-point play that made it 16-4.
 
The margin reached 20 (38-18) on a pair of Dylan Sortillo (Bettendorf HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) free throws at the 8:23 mark of the first half. Brett Benning's (Dakota HS, Davis, Ill.) three-pointer at the 6:40 pushed it to 25 (45-20) and a Chrishawn Orange (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) jumper extended the lead to 62-31 at half.
 
The Vikings, who shot .750 from the field in the second half at Calvin Sunday, hit .714 (20-28) in the first stanza against Fontbonne. That included five of eight from beyond the arc and they converted all 17 of their first-half free throw attempts as well. Sortillo had a dozen points at the break without missing a shot.
 
The 6' 8", 320-pound Smith asserted himself inside early in the second half, scoring the first seven points as the Griffins cut the deficit to 24 at 62-38. Giovanine substituted an entire new lineup and Augustana eventually regained control. A Sortillo three-pointer from the left corner with 14:24 to play put the hosts up 69-42.
 
Orange scored at the 12:09 mark to extend the lead back over 30 at 77-46 and his two free throws with 9:21 left made it 87-46. Giovanine cleared his bench at the six-minute mark. Junior Brandon Schattner's (Wilmot HS, Twin Lakes, Wis.) layup with 4:44 to play gave the Vikings their biggest lead of the night at 99-54 and freshman Roman Youngblut (Assumption HS, Davenport, Iowa) converted the second of two free throws with three minutes left to hit the century mark.
 
Sortillo led Augustana with 15 points on 5-of-6 field goal, 3-of-3 three-point and 2-of-2 free throw shooting. He also shared game-high honors in rebounds and assists with five and three, respectively. Benning added 13 points, Orange 12, Johnston 11 and Pierson Wofford (Springfield Lutheran HS, Springfield, Ill.) and Ebel 10 each.
 
Wofford joined Sortillo with five rebounds and three assists. Also with five boards were Benning and freshmen Lucas Simon (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) and Micah Martin (Iowa City HS, Iowa City, Iowa). The 6' 10" Martin's stat line also included eight points and three blocked shots in just 10 minutes.
 
For the game, the Vikings were 35 of 59 (.593) from the field, six of 14 (.429) from beyond the arc and 30 of 32 (.938) from the foul line. They held Fontbonne to .366 shooting on 26 of 71 field goals, including five of 25 (.200) from long range. Augustana had a 48-24 advantage on the glass and turned it over 17 times, to 14 for the Griffins.
 
Giovanine's bunch is back at Carver Center on Sunday, November 27. The 18th-ranked Vikings host 20th-ranked Washington University in a 3:00 p.m. matinee. That contest will be "Hoop Dreams Military Appreciation Day."