Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Senior A.J. Dollmeyer (Polo HS, Polo, Ill.) scored 10 points in 14 minutes off the bench Wednesday to help key a 79-72 CCIW-opening win over North Central at Carver Center. The fourth-ranked Vikings improved to 5-1 on the year and 1-0 in the league, while the Cardinals fell to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
 
There were four ties and three lead changes in the first 7:10 of the game. North Central's Connor Raridon hit a two and a three to give his team a 16-11 lead at the 11:42 mark of the first half, but Brett Benning (Dakota HS, Davis, Ill.) answered with consecutive three-pointers to regain the lead for Augustana. Chrishawn Orange (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) drilled a three and Nolan Ebel (Regis Jesuit HS, Denver, Colo.) added a field goal to complete an 11-0 Viking run that gave the hosts a 22-16 advantage that they would never relinquish.
 
After the Cardinals pulled to within 22-19 on a Blaise Meredith three-pointer, Augustana responded with a 9-2 run, capped by a Dollmeyer bucket, to take its biggest lead of the half at 31-21. Dollmeyer's conventional three-point play 5:42 before halftime matched that 10-point margin at 34-24.
 
A pair of Mike Pollack treys trimmed North Central's deficit to three again (36-33) at the 3:20 mark, but sophomore Lucas Simon (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) and Dollmeyer each scored on a putback in the final minute to send the Vikings to the locker room with a 44-36 lead.
 
Both teams were red-hot in the opening 20 minutes. Augustana hit 17 of 26 (.654) field goal attempts, including six of nine (.667) from beyond the arc. The Cardinals were 10 of 19 (.526) from the field and six of eight (.750) from long distance.
 
The Vikings kept the visitors at bay throughout the second half. An Aiden Chang basket with 16:08 to play pulled North Central within three again, but Augustana answered with baskets by sophomore Donovan Ferguson (Downers Grove South HS, Darien, Ill.) and Orange.
 
Erwin Henry's three-pointer with 13:24 left trimmed the deficit to 51-47 and for nearly eight straight minutes the margin would bounce between four and six points. The lone exception was a Simon trey at the 10:57 mark that put the Vikings up 58-51. However it was quickly answered by one from Pollack.
 
Finally, under six minutes, a Dylan Sortillo (Bettendorf HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) steal and assist led to a Dollmeyer three-point play that gave Augustana a 67-58 advantage. The lead would climb as high as 11 points on free throws by Benning at 1:18 (73-62) and Ebel at 0:47 (75-64) and would never fall below the final margin of seven.
 
Ebel led four Vikings in double figures with 18 points. Orange added 16, Benning 15 and Dollmeyer 10. Orange grabbed a game-high seven rebounds as well. Sortillo had game highs of six assists and two steals. Raridon scored a game-high 20 for the Cardinals.
 
Augustana finished the night 28 of 49 (.571) from the field and matched that percentage from three-point range, knocking down eight of 14. The Vikings hit 15 of 22 (.682) free throw attempts. North Central shot 23 of 49 (.469) from the floor, including a blistering 10 of 17 (.588) from long range, and 16 of 24 (.667) from the foul line. Rebounds were even at 27 and Augustana committed 13 turnovers to 11 for the Cardinals.
 
Coach Grey Giovanine's club travels to Kenosha, Wisconsin on Saturday, December 9 to face the Carthage Red Men. Tipoff at Tarble Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.