Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana put five players in double figures Wednesday, including four who tallied at least 15 points, and defeated Elmhurst 87-76 at Carver Center. The 16th-ranked Vikings improved to 15-3 on the season and maintained their one-game lead in the CCIW, going to 8-1. The Bluejays fell to 6-12 overall and 2-7 in the league.
 
The contest was tight early. Augustana's biggest lead in the first 16 minutes was 7-2 at the 17:29 mark of the first half. Elmhurst led at 2-0 and 18-17 before taking their final lead of the night (25-23) on a Derek Dotlich three-pointer at the 7:29 mark. The Vikings answered with a 15-4 run, capped by a Jacob Johnston (Erie HS, Cordova, Ill.) follow-up dunk that put the hosts up 38-29 with 1:37 to play before halftime.
 
Another Johnston put-back with three seconds left gave Augustana a 40-32 lead, but Dotlich threw in a 60-footer just before the halftime buzzer to pull the Bluejays to within 40-35 at the break. The freshman almost singlehandedly kept his team in the game in the first half, making all six of his field goal attempts, including four from beyond the arc, for 16 points.
 
Coach Grey Giovanine's club opened the second half with a 10-1 run—highlighted by a Nolan Ebel (Regis Jesuit HS, Denver, Colo.) four-point play—to go up 50-36 two and a half minutes into the period.
 
The lead was still 14 (52-38) after a Joe Kellen (Rockford Lutheran HS, Rockford, Ill.) transition layup, prompting Bluejay Coach John Baines to call a timeout with 16:13 to play. Baines' team responded, outscoring the Vikings 12-4 over the next three minutes to trim the deficit to 56-50. Jalen Loving scored seven points in the spurt.
 
Augustana's lead was still just six as the clocked ticked under 10 minutes, but the Vikings scored six straight, including a layup and a follow-up dunk by freshman Micah Martin (Iowa City HS, Iowa City, Iowa), to extend the advantage to 66-54. Elmhurst would get the margin down to nine points twice more, but Pierson Wofford's (Springfield Lutheran HS, Springfield, Ill.) three-pointer with 5:34 to play pushed it back to double digits for good.
 
Chrishawn Orange's (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) three-pointer with 56 seconds left gave Augustana its biggest lead of the night at 85-70 before the Bluejays cut the final margin to 11.
 
Orange and Wofford shared team-high scoring honors with 16 points apiece. 11 of Wofford's came in the first half, while Orange tallied a dozen in the second. Ebel and Johnston each scored 15 and Sortillo added 10. Other leaders for the Vikings included Ebel and Johnston, with seven rebounds each; Orange and Sortillo, with three assists apiece; Orange's three steals and Martin's three blocked shots. Dotlich scored a game-high 22 for Elmhurst.
 
Augustana finished the night 31 of 63 (.492) from the field, six of 19 (.316) from three-point range and 19 of 23 (.826) from the free throw line. The Bluejays shot .492 (29-59) from the floor as well, including eight of 19 (.421) from long range. They were 10 of 12 (.833) from the foul line and won the battle of the boards by a 35-32 margin. The Vikings committed just six turnovers to 14 for the visitors.
 
On Saturday, January 28, Giovanine's crew travels to Kenosha, Wisconsin to take on Carthage, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m.