DECATUR, Ill. – Augustana raced to a 44-16 halftime lead Saturday on its way to a 76-42 win over Millikin at the Griswold Center. The Vikings, ranked third in the nation, improved to 8-1 on the season and 3-

0 in the CCIW, while the Big Blue dropped to 5-4 overall and 1-3 in the league.
 
Millikin trailed just 7-6 four minutes in, but Augustana went on a 20-0 run over the next 6½ minutes to go up 27-6.
 
The Big Blue answered with four straight points, but junior Austin Elledge (Highland HS, Highland, Ill.) drilled a three-pointer at the six-minute mark to spark a 17-6 Augustana spurt to close the half. Sophomore Jack Jelen (Bay HS, Bay Village, Ohio) hit a pair of three-pointers and Micah Martin (Iowa City HS, Iowa City, Iowa) had a dunk with a minute left and beat the halftime buzzer with a putback that gave the visitors a 44-16 edge at intermission.
 
Junior Donovan Ferguson (Downers Grove South HS, Darien, Ill.) led the Vikings with eight first-half points. Augustana's bench tallied 24, as the team's four leading scorers on the year combined for just 12. Coach Grey Giovanine's crew shot .563 from the field, including five of 10 from beyond the arc, while limiting the Big Blue to just six field goals in 24 tries.
 
After taking just two shots and being held scoreless in the opening 20 minutes, senior Chrishawn Orange (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) erupted for 14 points in the first 11:06 of the second half. His steal and layup with 16 minutes to play pushed the margin to 30 (54-24) for the first time and he wrapped up his afternoon with a conventional three-point play at the 8:54 mark that gave the Vikings a 64-29 lead.
 
Giovanine played his reserves exclusively over the final 7½ minutes, as all 15 players on the Augustana roster saw action, with 11 logging at least a dozen minutes. Orange, with 21, was the only Viking to play more than 18 minutes.
 
With 14 points, Orange was the only player on either team to reach double figures and he added three assists and three steals. Ferguson and Jelen each finished with eight points, while Elledge, Nolan Ebel (Regis Jesuit HS, Denver, Colo.) and Brett Benning (Dakota HS, Davis, Ill.) tallied seven apiece. Juniors Lucas Simon (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) and Martin each grabbed four rebounds. Elledge had a game-high four assists and junior Pierson Wofford (Springfield Lutheran HS, Springfield, Ill.) came away with a game-high six steals.
 
Augustana finished the day 29 of 53 (.547) from the floor, six of 15 (.400) from beyond the arc and 12 of 17 (.706) at the foul line. The Vikings limited Millikin to .255 shooting on 12 field goals in 47 attempts, including .118 (2-17) from long range. Augustana has allowed just six three-point field goals in three CCIW games this year. The Big Blue were 16 of 22 (.727) at the free throw line and won the battle of the boards 36-31, but committed 29 turnovers to 17 for the Vikings.
 
On Monday, December 17, Augustana will take on 8-0 Centre at the Rhodes Holiday Classic in Memphis, Tennessee. Tipoff at Mallory Gymnasium is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.