Box Score

NAPERVILLE, Ill. – In a matchup for sole possession of the CCIW lead, second-ranked Augustana got 25 points from Hunter Hill (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) and 21 from Ben Ryan (Washington HS, Washington, Ill.) to down 13th-ranked North Central 76-68 at Gregory Arena Wednesday night. Coach Grey Giovanine's Vikings improved to 20-1 on the season and 9-1 in the conference, while the host Cardinals fell to 15-6 overall and 8-2 in the league.
 
North Central jumped out to a 20-12 lead just past the midway point of the first half, but front-liners Ryan, Brandon Motzel (Carmel HS, Buffalo Grove, Ill.) and Tayvian Johnson (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) fueled a 9-0 run that gave Augustana a 21-20 lead, its first since 5-4.
 
The Cardinals scored the next three points to go back on top, but Hill scored to tie it at 23-all. He followed that up by tallying 11 of the Vikings' next 13 points, as Giovanine's crew went up 36-27. North Central closed the half on a 7-1 run to get within 37-34 at intermission.
 
Ryan scored six points early in the second stanza as Augustana stretched its advantage to 53-41—matching the largest of the night—with 13:52 to play. However, the Cardinals responded with 20-9 run to draw to within 62-61 on a Kevin Honn layup at the 5:17 mark. Honn and Jagger Anderson each scored seven points in the spurt.
 
Hill sandwiched a pair of three-pointers around another Honn hoop before Jayme Moten's trey pulled North Central within two (68-66) with 3:39 to play. After Dylan Sortillo (Bettendorf HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) scored at the 2:17 mark, Anderson answered with a transition bucket and it was 70-68 Vikings as the clocked ticked under a minute.
 
A Ryan layup push the margin back to four (72-68) and the Augustana defense recorded three straight stops, forcing the Cardinals to foul. Ryan and Griffin Pils (Libertyville HS, Libertyville, Ill.) each drained two free throws in the last 15 seconds to account for the final.
 
Hill finished the night nine of 13 from the field, including five of eight from beyond the arc. Ryan connected on nine of 15 from the floor. Motzel and Johnson split 16 points on a combined seven-of-eight performance from the field. The Vikings' shooting performance—.569 (29 of 51) from the floor and .375 (six of 16) from three-point range—was the difference, as rebounds and turnovers were even at 33 and 10, respectively. North Central was 28 of 61 (.459) from the field and just five of 28 (.179) from beyond the arc.
 
Augustana will be back at Carver Center on Saturday, February 6, hosting Carthage in the back half of a women's/men's doubleheader. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.