ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Junior Hunter Hill poured in 41 points and Augustana battled through two overtime sessions with makeshift lineups Wednesday, defeating top-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater 96-94 at Carver Center. The fourth-ranked Vikings improve to 7-1 on the season while the reigning national champion Warhawks fall to 6-2.
UW-Whitewater battled back from an 11-point deficit to take its first lead of the second half, 72-71, on a Ron Patten bucket with 3:06 to play. Drew Bryson added a field goal 33 seconds later to make it 74-71 and the hosts still found themselves down by that score as the regulation clock ticked under one minute. Warhawk Quardell Young missed a shot with 40 seconds left and Patten came over Danielius Jurgutis' back on the rebound. The Viking senior hit both free throws to cut the deficit to one. After Young split a pair of freebies with 34 seconds remaining, Hill scored to tie it at 75-all with 21 seconds left. Young's three-point attempt on Whitewater's last possession was off and Tayvian Johnson grabbed the rebound to send the teams to the first overtime.
Johnson banked in a jumper high off the glass to give the Vikings a 77-75 lead early in the first overtime. However, on Whitewater's next trip down, 6' 5" junior Ben Ryan was called for his fifth foul. Already playing without 6' 7" junior Brandon Motzel, who had fouled out and 6' 6" senior Nic Hoepfner, who had left with an injury, Coach Grey Giovanine called on 6' 6" junior Jake Gylten to give his team some needed size.
Patton missed both free throws after Ryan's foul, but the Warhawks retrieved a long rebound and Xzavier Moananu three-pointer put UWW back in front 78-77. After Patten scored to put his team up by three, Gylten knocked down two big free throws with 59 seconds left to get Augustana within 80-79. After two Young freebies made it 82-79, Hill came to the rescue again, burying a three to tie it with 23 seconds left. K.J. Evans converted a pair from the foul line, but Hill answered again with a jumper off the glass and the teams went to the second overtime tied at 84.
Hill wasted no time in OT session number two, knocking down a long three just 18 seconds in to give the hosts a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Viking advantage bounced from one to three points until Hill's two free throws with 28 seconds on the clock put his team ahead 93-88. Junior Griffin Pils added a pair of freebies with 18 seconds left and Johnson one of two at 0:08 to ice the game.
The two heavyweights slugged it out in an evenly played first half which saw six lead changes and three ties. Augustana went to the locker room leading 33-30 after Ryan rattled in a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer.
Hill's 41 points tied him for eighth-most in school history and came on 14 of 21 shooting from the floor, seven of 10 from beyond the arc and six of seven at the line. He scored 21 in the second half, five in the first overtime and seven in the second. He also had four steals and just one turnover in 44 minutes. Johnson added 14 points, three steals and team highs of eight rebounds and two blocks. Jurguits, with 13 and Ryan, with a dozen, were also in double figures for the Vikings. Young and Evans led the Warhawks with 22 each, while Patten and Cody Odegaard had 15 apiece.
Augustana shot .492 (31 of 63) from the floor and hit 12 of 23 (.522) three-point attempts. The Vikings also converted 22 of 29 (.759) free throws. Whitewater hit 35 of 69 (.507) field goal tries, nine of 22 threes and 15 of 25 at the line. Augustana won the battle of the boards 39-37, while each team committed 16 turnovers.
The Vikings are back in action on Tuesday, December 16, when they travel to Jacksonville, Illinois to face MacMurray. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.