CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. – Third-ranked Augustana shot 69 percent from the field in racing to a 49-25 halftime lead Friday and went on to post a 91-61 win over host Thomas More on the first night of the Coach Jim Connor Classic. The Vikings, who improved to 3-0 on the year, wrap up tournament play on Saturday, November 22 against Rust.

Augustana hit 10 of its first 11 shots from the floor to go up 22-9 barely seven minutes in. Juniors Brandon Motzel and Hunter Hill each had three field goals in that stretch, while junior Ben Ryan and senior Nic Hoepfner sank a pair each.

Junior Tayvian Johnson had a dunk and a three-pointer on back-to-back possessions to push Augustana's lead to 29-11 as the first-half clock went under 10 minutes. A pair of Jawan Straughter offensive rebounds kept the second possession alive, leading to Johnson's trey. 

The Saints got a Nate McGovney layup and a Drew Mumford three pointer with less than eight minutes left in the half, marking the first time Thomas More recorded consecutive baskets in the game. Junior Jake Gylten scored twice and senior Danielius Jurgutis hit a three as the Vikings finished the half on a 7-0 run.

Ryan and Hoepfner each scored twice as Augustana opened the second half with an 8-0 run to go up 57-25. A Kevin Schlitter layup at the 16-minute mark gave the Vikings a 63-29 lead before a 16-4 Saint surge trimmed the margin to 22. Augustana responded with a 16-4 run of its own to match the biggest lead of the night, 83-49 on a pair of Gylten free throws.

Coach Grey Giovanine went deep into his bench. All 15 Vikings that suited up saw at least five minutes of action and only Straughter and Ryan, with 21 and 20 minutes respectively, played half the game. 

Ryan had his second straight double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Hoepfner added 11 points, Hill 10 and Johnson nine, while Motzel, Schlitter and Gylten chipped in with eight apiece.

Augustana's starting front line of Ryan (6-8), Hoepfner (5-5) and Johnson (4-5) combined to hit 15 of 18 shots from the field. For the game, the Vikings were 35 of 58 (.603) from the floor and 18 of 22 (.818) from the free throw line. Hill, Jurgutis and junior Griffin Pils each dished out four of Augustana's 20 assists. Straughter added seven rebounds as the Vikings used a significant size advantage to pile up a 47-23 edge on the glass.

Defensively, Giovanine's club held Thomas More to just .348 (23-66) shooting from the field, including four of 18 (.222) from beyond the arc.