Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Third-ranked Augustana jumped on visiting Rockford early Wednesday and cruised to a 109-51 win at Carver Center. Coach Grey Giovanine's Vikings improved to 7-1 on the season, while the Regents fell to 5-5 on the year.
 
After Will Adams' baseline jumper gave Rockford a 2-0 lead, junior Nolan Ebel (Regis Jesuit HS, Denver, Colo.) drilled a three-pointer from the right corner and added a conventional three-point play on the next trip to put Augustana up 6-2. The margin grew quickly. Consecutive three-pointers by senior Dylan Sortillo (Bettendorf HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) and sophomore Lucas Simon (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) pushed it into double figures at 16-4 less than five minutes in.
 
A pair of Sortillo free throws just past the midway point of the first half gave the Vikings a 32-11 advantage and the lead reached 25 (41-16) on another Simon trey at the 7:28 mark. Chrishawn Orange's (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) three-pointer 5:06 before halftime ballooned the margin to 30 (48-18) and Ebel split two free throws with five seconds left to send the hosts to the locker room with a 59-23 lead.
 
Augustana finished the half 22 of 36 (.611) from the field, including six of eight (.750) from three-point range. The Vikings held the Regents to .250 shooting on seven of 28 and outrebounded them by a margin of 27-12.
 
The second half afforded Giovanine an opportunity to go deep into his bench. No Augustana starter played more than five minutes after halftime and all 16 Vikings that dressed saw action, including three who made their varsity debuts. Orange tallied a four-point play on the opening possession to extended the advantage to 40 points (63-23) and by the midway point of the period, Augustana led 77-38 and 14 players had seen action.
 
With eight minutes remaining and the score 83-38, Giovanine emptied the bench with sophomore Andy McLaughlin (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) and freshman Jarrett Tribble (Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Homewood, Ill.) seeing their first varsity playing time.
 
Tribble's transition layup with 4:08 left pushed the margin to 50 (93-43) and a long three by junior Nic Uhlir (Linn-Mar HS, Marion, Iowa) at 2:27 put the Vikings over the century mark (101-45). McLaughlin and Tribble each scored four points to close out the scoring.
 
All of Augustana's 16 players scored, while none played more than 17 minutes in the contest. Ebel scored a game-high 13 points in 14 minutes of action. Sortillo was the only other player in double figures with 12—all in the first half. Orange added nine points and Simon, A.J. Dollmeyer (Polo HS, Polo, Ill.) and Austin Elledge (Highland HS, Highland, Ill.) eight each. Elledge also had a game-high three steals in a team-high 17 minutes. Four Vikings tallied seven points: Uhlir, McLaughlin, sophomore Donovan Ferguson (Downers Grove HS, Darien, Ill.) and freshman Carson Frakes (Rockridge HS, Illinois City, Ill.), who also grabbed six rebounds in his varsity debut. Sophomore Roman Youngblut (Assumption HS, Davenport, Iowa) snared a game-high seven boards and junior Joe Kellen (Rockford Lutheran HS, Rockford, Ill.) and Orange shared the assist lead with three apiece.
 
Augustana finished the night 40 of 71 (.563) from the field, nine of 14 (.643) from three-point range and 20 of 24 (.833) from the foul line. Rockford shot .306 (19-62) from the floor, .222 (4-18) from beyond the arc and .750 (9-12) from the free throw line. The Vikings won the battle of the boards by a 52-27 margin and committed 13 turnovers to 20 for the Regents.
 
On Saturday, December 16, Augustana hits the road for Pella, Iowa and a 3:00 p.m. matchup with Central.