MOLINE, Ill. – Augustana blocked 12 shots and limited St. Ambrose to .317 shooting from the field Sunday, downing the Bees 71-51 in the Genesis Collegiate Challenge at the TaxSlayer Center. Senior Joe Kellen (Rockford Lutheran HS, Rockford, Ill.) came off the bench to lead the Vikings offensively with 16 points. Coach Grey Giovanine's squad will play a second exhibition contest at Illinois State on Saturday, November 3, before opening regular season play at Alma on Friday, November 16.
 
Augustana battled foul trouble during a sluggish start, getting whistled five times in the first 3:06 of the game. There were three lead changes and four ties in the first 10 minutes, but when sophomore Jack Jelen (Bay HS, Bay Village, Ohio) scored at the 10:26 mark to put Augustana up 12-10, the Vikings had the lead for good.
 
The margin bounced between two and four points for the next nine minutes. The only exceptions were when it bumped to six (22-16) on an Austin Elledge (Highland HS, Highland, Ill.) bucket with 6:46 remaining in the half and when it was trimmed to one (24-23) on a three-pointer by the Bees' Alex Portwood with 3:52 left.
 
Kellen answered Portwood's three and—after big men John Kerr of St. Ambrose and Micah Martin (Iowa City HS, Iowa City, Iowa) traded buckets—hit another to put Giovanine's crew up 32-25. Nolan Ebel's (Regis Jesuit HS, Denver, Colo.) layup with 17 seconds left in the half gave Augustana a 34-25 lead at the break.
 
Michael Williams and Jake Meeske scored the first two baskets of the second half, trimming the Bees' deficit to five. However, Ebel responded with a conventional three-point play and a pair of free throws on the Vikings' next two possessions, sparking a 22-5 Augustana run over the next seven minutes. Pierson Wofford's (Springfield Lutheran HS, Springfield, Ill.) three-pointer with 11:36 to play put the Vikings on top 56-34.
 
St. Ambrose got as close as 15 (60-45) on a pair of Portwood free throws with 6:48 remaining, but Wofford and Chrishawn Orange (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) each hit a three in a 10-0 Augustana spurt that gave the Vikings their biggest lead of the contest at 70-45.
 
Kellen's game-high 16 points came on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Ebel and Orange, with 13 apiece and Wofford, with 10, joined him in double figures. Augustana finished 25 of 51 (.490) from the field, nine of 21 (.429) from long range and 12 of 15 (.800) from the foul line. Behind eight rebounds from sophomore Carson Frakes (Rockridge HS, Illinois City, Ill.) and seven from junior Roman Youngblut (Assumption HS, Davenport, Iowa), the Vikings won the battle of the boards by a 39-35 count. Ebel and Jelen each dished out three assists.
 
Portwood and Williams led the Bees with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Affected by the interior defense of Martin (six blocks), junior Donovan Ferguson (Downers Grove South HS, Darien, Ill.) (five blocks in nine minutes) and Youngblut, St. Ambrose converted just 19 of 60 (.317) from the floor. The Bees hit five of 15 (.333) three-point tries, were eight of 17 (.471) from the free throw line and committed 17 turnovers to 20 for Augustana.