ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana used a 22-7 second-half run to wipe out an eight-point deficit and went on to defeat Capital 85-79 Saturday at Carver Center in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. Coach Grey Giovanine's' squad improved to 26-3 on the year, while the Crusaders' season came to an end at 21-8.

 

Capital's Will Hannah hit a layup with 12:59 remaining to put the Crusaders up 54-46. After a Viking turnover, they had a chance to extend the advantage to double digits, but Joey Weingartner's jumper was off the mark. At the other end Brett Benning (Dakota HS, Davis, Ill.) drained a three-pointer from the right corner that pulled the hosts to within five and sparked a 22-7 run over the next six minutes.
 
A Nolan Ebel (Regis Jesuit HS, Denver, Colo.) trey got Augustana within a bucket (54-52) and one by Pierson Wofford (Springfield Lutheran HS, Springfield, Ill.) with 9:49 to play gave the Vikings their first lead since late in the first half. A Weingartner three-pointer from the left corner forged one final lead for Capital at 61-60, but Giovanine's bunch answered with eight straight. Another Ebel three with 6:10 left put his team up 68-61.
 
The Crusaders got as close as three (72-69) on a Hannah triple with 3:49 to play, but Ebel and Orange (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) each scored in the lane and Wofford drilled another three at the 2:13 mark to make it 79-71. Capital wouldn't get the margin under five the rest of the way as Augustana hit six of eight free throws in the final minute.
 
Over the final 12:11 of the game, the Vikings hit 13 of 20 shots from the field, including six of eight from beyond the arc. They hit .586 from the floor and .583 from three-point range in the second half and committed just four turnovers after 10 in the first half.
 
Augustana jumped in front early, taking a 15-7 lead on a Jack Jelen (Bay HS, Bay Village, Ohio) three-pointer at 13:35 of the first half. However, Capital answered with eight straight to pull even and the contest settled into a see-saw affair. Dan Auble's conventional three-point play 1:18 before halftime put the Crusaders up 38-33 and after Ebel converted a pair of free throws with 2.9 seconds on the clock, Weingartner threw in a runner from 35 feet to give his team a 41-35 lead at the break.
 
The Vikings eventually clawed their way back to a 46-all tie on Ebel's layup with 14:46 to play, but Capital took advantage of Augustana turnovers to score eight straight, capped by Hannah's layup that made it 54-46.
 
Ebel scored 18 of his game-high 27 in the second half. Wofford tallied 11 of his 18 after halftime and Orange 13 of his 15. Benning finished with 10 points. Orange led the way on the boards with a half-dozen. Austin Schreck led four Crusaders in double figures with 16 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
 
Augustana finished the night 25 of 47 (.532) from the field, nine of 18 (.500) from three-point range and 26 of 30 (.867) from the free throw line. Capital shot .468 (29-62) from the floor, .368 (7-19) from beyond the arc and .933 (14-15) from the foul line. The Crusaders won the battle of the boards by a 34-24 margin, but committed 16 turnovers to 14 for the Vikings.
 
Next up for Augustana is the third meeting of the year with Wheaton. The Thunder defeated Hanover and Wooster to advance to the sectional rounds. Other teams in the Vikings' sectional will be Marietta and Oswego State. Sites for next weekend's contests will be released on Sunday, March 3.