Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Despite giving up 12 three-pointers in 24 attempts to Illinois Wesleyan Friday, it was Augustana's defense that spelled the difference in an 83-74 overtime win by the Vikings in the CCIW Tournament semifinals. Coach Grey Giovanine's top-ranked club moves to 25-1 on the season and into Saturday's championship game against Elmhurst, a 60-58 winner over North Central in Friday's first semifinal. The Titans finish the season with a 13-13 record.
 
Trailing by as many as seven in the second half and still by six (51-45) with 11:50 to play, the Vikings used withering defensive pressure to go on a seven-minute, 18-5 run. The hosts came up with four steals in that time, three of which led directly to points. A spectacular three-point play by Tayvian Johnson (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) with 3:55 left in regulation capped the spree and put Augustana on top 63-56.
 
However, those would be the last points the Vikings would score before overtime, as IWU answered with seven straight. Andy Stempel's jumper with 1:30 left tied it at 63-all, before each team had two empty possessions to force the extra session. Ben Ryan's (Washington HS, Washington, Ill.) potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer was long.
 
On the first possession of overtime, Johnson was fouled and hit the first free throw for a 64-63 lead. His second attempt rimmed out, but the rebound slipped through the hands of a pair of Titans and was pulled in by Ryan. Augustana reset and Ryan eventually scored off a feed from Jawan Straughter (Plainfield East HS, Bolingbrook, Ill.) to make it 66-63. After a Viking defensive stop, Straughter scored on a strong drive and the lead was never less than four the rest of the way.
 
A Hunter Hill (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) three-point play with 1:34 left gave Augustana its biggest lead (75-66) of the night, one equaled when freshman Pierson Wofford (Springfield Lutheran HS, Springfield, Ill.) hit two free throws with 13 seconds remaining to account for the final.
 
Straughter scored eight points—including the Vikings' only two three-pointers of the night—as Augustana jumped out to a 12-5 lead six minutes in. IWU chipped away, however and a Stempel three just past the midway point of the first half drew the Titans even at 18-all. A pair of Straughter free throws with 2:48 before halftime drew the Vikings into the fifth tie (26-26) of the half, but another Stempel trey—the team's sixth in seven attempts to that point—sparked an 8-2 IWU run and the Titans led 34-28 at the break.
 
A Pennington three-pointer 1:45 into the second half gave Wesleyan its biggest lead of the night at 37-30.
 
Ryan led five Vikings in double figures with 16 points. Johnson added 14, Straughter and Wofford 13 each and Hill 11. Ryan and Johnson led the way on the boards with eight and seven, respectively. Seniors Griffin Pils (Libertyville HS, Libertyville, Ill.) and Brandon Motzel (Carmel HS, Buffalo Grove, Ill.), along with Johnson, each had three of Augustana's 16 steals. Hill had a game-high three assists and a pair of steals. Pennington dropped in a game-high 20, including five of eight three-pointers, for Illinois Wesleyan.
 
The Vikings will attempt to win their fifth CCIW Tournament title in the event's 11-year history on Saturday, February 27. Top seed Augustana (25-1, 13-1) and third-seeded Elmhurst (21-5, 10-4) will tip off at Carver Center at 7:00 p.m. The Bluejays handed the Vikings their only defeat of the season, 77-75 in overtime at Elmhurst on January 6.