Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Five Vikings scored in double figures Wednesday as top-ranked Augustana rolled to a 76-60 win over Illinois Wesleyan at Carver Center. Coach Grey Giovanine's club improved to 22-1 on the season and 11-1 in the CCIW. The win also secured the program's first undefeated regular season at home since 1980-81. The visiting Titans dropped to 11-12 on the season and 5-7 in the league.
 
The Augustana defense set the tone early, forcing shot clock violations on IWU's first two possessions. Senior Jawan Straughter (Plainfield East HS, Bolingbrook, Ill.) followed each of those stops with a three-point field goal and the Vikings led 6-0 less than two minutes in. A Hunter Hill (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) three-pointer at the 14:45 mark of the first half extended the margin to 13-2, prompting the Titans to use their second timeout.
 
Sophomore Dylan Sortillo (Bettendorf HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) drilled three straight treys in a two-and-a-half minute stretch later in the half as the advantage ballooned to its largest of the period at 34-16. Augustana took a 38-25 lead to the locker room at intermission.
 
IWU scored on its first five possessions of the second half, trimming the deficit to nine points at 44-35. An Austin Amann three-pointer with 11:50 to play got the Titans within eight (51-43)—as close as they'd been since early in the first half. The Vikings responded with a 17-4 run over the next five minutes, however, to go up 68-47. Six different players scored in the Augustana spree, including four free throws by Hill.
 
The final margin was as close as Wesleyan would get the rest of the way.
 
Hill had game highs of 13 points and six assists. Sortillo and Tayvian Johnson (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) each scored a dozen. Ben Ryan (Washington HS, Washington, Ill.) and Brandon Motzel (Carmel HS, Buffalo Grove, Ill.) each scored 11 and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds. Straughter added nine points and Griffin Pils (Libertyville HS, Libertyville, Ill.) six, to go along with three assists and three steals.
 
The Vikings shot .510 (26 of 51) from the floor, .421 (eight of 19) from three-point range and .889 (16 of 18) from the foul line. They outrebounded IWU 28-25 and committed 12 turnovers, while forcing 18. The Titans, who were led by Ryan Coyle's 11 points, shot 22 of 48 (.458) from the field, eight of 21 (.381) from three and eight of 11 (.727) at the line.
 
Next up for Augustana is a road date at red-hot Millikin on Saturday, February 13. The Big Blue have won three in a row, with two of those wins coming on the road. Tip off at the Griswold Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.