ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Nolan Ebel (Regis Jesuit HS, Denver, Colo.) surpassed 1,000 career points Saturday, as Augustana opened CCIW play with a 68-56 win over Carroll at

Carver Center. The fifth-ranked Vikings improved to 5-1 on the season, while the Pioneers dropped to 2-4.
 
There were four lead changes and two ties in the first four minutes, but when Ebel hit his second three to put Augustana up 11-8 at the 15:22 mark of the first half, the Vikings had the lead for good.
 
Carroll trailed just 13-12 after a Charlie Soule layup at 13:19, but the hosts went on a 16-4 run over the next seven minutes. Pierson Wofford (Springfield Lutheran HS, Springfield, Ill.) tallied six in the spurt and Austin Elledge (Highland HS, Highland, Ill.) added five, including a three pointer that made it 29-16 6:23 before halftime.
 
Wofford's bucket with 1:31 left in the half sent Augustana to intermission with a 33-19 lead. The Vikings shot .583 from the field in the opening 20 minutes, including four of six (.667) from beyond the arc. They held the Pioneers to .364 shooting from the floor and without a successful three-pointer. Coach Grey Giovanine's bunch also had an 18-9 edge on the glass in the first half.
 
Brett Benning (Dakota HS, Davis, Ill.) had back-to-back three-pointers as Augustana opened the second half with an 8-1 run that extended its lead to 41-20 barely two minutes in. The margin eventually reached 26 (51-25) when Ebel tallied his 999th and 1,000th career points on a short jumper with 13:10 to play. The senior became the 28th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
 
An Elledge jumper with 11:31 remaining made it 53-27, equaling the Vikings' largest lead of the night, before Carroll outscored Augustana 29-15 in the final 11:31 of the game.
 
Wofford finished with 16 points to lead four Vikings in double figures. Ebel, Elledge and Chrishawn Orange (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) each dropped in 10. Elledge's total was a career high. Coming off the bench for the first time this year, Micah Martin (Iowa City HS, Iowa City, Iowa) had eight points and seven rebounds. Donovan Ferguson (Downers Grove South HS, Darien, Ill.), in his first start of the season, grabbed a game-high eight rebounds and blocked a pair of shots. Orange and Joe Kellen (Rockford Lutheran HS, Rockford, Ill.) each dished out four assists and Orange added a game-high three steals.
 
Soule led the Pioneers with 17 points and six rebounds.
 
Augustana finished 27 of 51 (.529) from the field, six of 14 (.429) from three-point range and eight of 14 (.571) from the foul line. Carroll hit .438 (21-48) from the floor and .667 (12-18) at the foul line. The Pioneers attempted just four three-pointers, making two. The Vikings led 32-25 on the boards and committed 14 turnovers to 17 for Carroll.
 
On Wednesday, December 5, Giovanine's crew is back on the road, visiting Jacksonville, Illinois for a date against Coach Todd Creal's MacMurray Highlanders. Tipoff at Bill Wall Gymnasium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.