WHEATON, Ill. – Pierson Wofford (Springfield Lutheran HS, Springfield, Ill.) delivered a double-double of 24 points and 13 rebounds Wednesday to spark second-ranked Augustana to a 77-73 win over Wheaton at King Arena. With their 14th consecutive victory, the Vikings moved to 16-1 on the season and 8-0 in the CCIW. The Thunder, who

had a four-game winning streak snapped, fell to 12-5 overall and 5-3 in the league.
 
Wofford scored nine points in the first six minutes of the game and a Chrishawn Orange (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) three-pointer 7½ minutes in gave Augustana a 21-11 lead. After Anajuwon Spencer scored seven points in a 9-0 Wheaton run that pulled the Thunder to within a point, Wofford added four more points as the visitors extended the advantage back to 28-20.
 
Luke Anthony hit a free throw and a three-pointer to ignite a 9-0 run that put Wheaton on top for the first time, 29-28 at the 7:16 mark. There would be three ties and six lead changes the rest of the half, with Kobe Eichelberger's tip dunk off an Aston Francis miss sending the hosts to intermission with a 41-40 lead.
 
The start of the second half proved pivotal. The Thunder hit one of two free throws to open the scoring, but Nolan Ebel (Regis Jesuit HS, Denver, Colo.) scored five and Austin Elledge (Highland HS, Highland, Ill.) four in an 11-0 Viking run that gave Augustana a 52-41 lead that it would never relinquish.
 
Wheaton answered with a 9-1 run to trail by just a point with 11:40 to play, but a Brett Benning (Dakota HS, Davis, Ill.) basket kept Coach Grey Giovanine's club on top. The margin bounced between three and six points until a Lucas Simon (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) trey pushed it back to nine (66-57) with 7:14 remaining. However, the Thunder answered again, eventually drawing as close as 74-73 on a Francis three-pointer with 34 seconds left.
 
After Orange split two free throws at the 21-second mark, Francis' three attempt for the lead with 11 seconds left was off the mark and Wofford snared his 13th rebound of the night. The Viking forward was fouled with eight seconds on the clock and drilled both free throws to account for the final.
 
Wofford hit 8-of-14 from the field and 8-of-9 from the foul line. Benning was the only other Augustana player in double figures, finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Ebel scored eight, grabbed five rebounds and dished out a game-high six assists and Orange finished with nine points, six boards and three assists. Francis, the nation's leading scorer, tallied 30 on 11-of 26 shooting and Anthony added 11 points off the bench for Wheaton.
 
The Vikings shot just .366 (26-71) from the field, but hit seven of 12 (.583) three-pointers and 18 of 24 (.750) free throws. They outrebounded the Thunder 44-40 and committed just 10 turnovers while forcing 17. Wheaton shot .426 (23-54) from the floor, .391 (9-23) from behind the arc and 18 of 24 (.750) at the foul line.
 
Augustana will begin the second round of CCIW games with another big road contest on Saturday, January 19. The Vikings travel to Bloomington, Illinois to face Illinois Wesleyan. Tipoff at the Shirk Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.