ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - Nolan Ebel (Regis Jesuit HS, Denver, Colo.) scored a game-high 23 points Saturday to lead third-ranked Augustana to a 67-60 victory over eighth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan at Carver Center. The Vikings improved to 7-1 on the season and 2-0 in the CCIW, while the Titans dropped to 7-2 overall and 1-2 in the league.

 

A Micah Martin (Iowa City HS, Iowa City, Iowa) dunk and a bucket by Ebel gave the hosts a 4-2 lead three minutes in, but consecutive layups by Brady Rose and Doug Wallen put IWU on top 6-4. With the exception of a 22-all tie with 4½ minutes left in the first half, the Titans would maintain their advantage for 21 minutes.
 
After Ebel's conventional three-point play pulled Augustana even at 22-all, IWU answered with a Matthew Leritz hoop and a Charlie Bair three-point play to match its largest lead of the half at 27-22. However, Ebel scored off a Lucas Simon (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) steal and assist and added a layup just before the halftime buzzer to cut the deficit to 27-26 at the break.
 
Augustana shot just .344 (11-32) from the field and .091 (1-11) from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes, but stayed close by outrebounding the Titans 21-19 and holding them without a three-point field goal.
 
Rose and Jason Gregoire remedied that early in the second half. Each hit a three-pointer from the right corner as Wesleyan extended its lead to its largest of the game, 35-28, with 15:51 to play. Brett Benning (Dakota HS, Davis, Ill.) sandwiched a pair of threes around one by Austin Elledge (Highland HS, Highland, Ill.), as the Vikings trimmed the margin to 39-37 at the 13:29 mark.
 
With 12:19 remaining, Pierson Wofford (Springfield Lutheran HS, Springfield, Ill.) pulled Coach Grey Giovanine's club to within a point by hitting the first of two free throws. His second rimmed out, but Martin was there for the putback to give Augustana just its second lead (40-39) of the night and its first since 4-2.
 
There were seven ties and four lead changes over the next 9½ minutes, but when Ebel drained two free throws at the 2:43 mark, the Vikings had the lead (58-56) for good. A minute later, Wofford's fade-away jumper in the lane put the hosts on top 61-58. With 25 seconds left, Ebel ended a four-shot, nearly minute-long Augustana possession by hitting a long two from the right wing with the shot clock winding down to make it 63-58. Benning and Chrishawn Orange (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) each hit a pair of free throws in the final 20 seconds to keep the Titans at bay.
 
The Vikings overcame a frigid shooting night (.359 from the field and .261 from three-point range) by piling up a 45-35 edge on the glass (24-16 in the second half) and limiting IWU to just two three-pointers in 15 attempts (.133). The Titans finished 25 of 58 (.431) from the field and eight of 12 (.667) at the free throw line. Augustana hit 23 of 64 field goal attempts, six of 23 three-point tries and 15 of 21 (.714) at the charity stripe. Giovanine's crew committed just 10 turnovers to a dozen for IWU.
 
Individually, Ebel's 23 points came on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, two of six from long range and five of five at the foul line. He added five rebounds and a pair of steals. Martin joined him in double figures with 13 points. Wofford had a team-high seven rebounds and Simon, who hit the only three-pointer by either team in the first half, had game highs of five assists and two steals in 12 minutes of action.
 
Rose led the Titans with 13 points and Alex O'Neill added 11. Gregoire snared a game-high eight boards.
 
The Vikings play their final CCIW contest of 2018 on Saturday, December 15 at Millikin. Tipoff at the Griswold Center is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.