The Augustana men’s basketball team (15-1, 7-0) beat Carthage College 69-68 on Saturday, Jan. 12, adding another conference win under their belt.
This win made history as the team landed their 500th win at Carver. This is the Vikings’ 15th win of the season making their conference record 7-0 and their overall record 15-1.
In the last few moments of the second half of the game, the score read 67-68 with Carthage leading by one point. With only 5.5 seconds remaining on the clock, Augustana took a full timeout.
All eyes were on senior captain Nolan Ebel as he ran the ball all the way down the court making a left-handed layup with 0.9 seconds left, winning the game for the Vikings.
Ebel talked about the team’s strategy to win the game.
“The plan was to go down the right side, but Carthage did a good job guarding, so I went for the left. I didn’t expect to get to the rim, but having been in these situations before, being down by one point, we were able to stay confident and focused,” Ebel said.
Starting off the game, Carthage made two field goals right off the bat. Ebel scored the first three-pointer of the night followed by junior Austin Elledge adding another three points to the scoreboard for the Vikings.
Senior captain Chrishawn Orange shot a successful field goal tightening the gap between the scores. By the end of the first half, Carthage led the game 45-38 over the Vikings.
Going into the second half of the game, Augie came out of the gate strong with Ebel making a shot within the first few seconds of the game. Senior Brett Benning made some additional points for the Vikings with the clock at 13:05.
Junior Pierson Wofford scored two points making the score 67-65. The Vikings fouled twice on Carthage changing the scoreboard to 67-68. With less than 6 seconds remaining, Ebel took the ball in for the game winning layup.
Coach Giovanine discussed the team’s goals moving forward.
“We want to make history by being the first team in our conference to win a fifth [conference] championship title,” Giovanine said. “We really practice on staying accountable and competitive throughout the season. Our defense is the backbone of the team and is also ranked number two for Division III.”
Coach Giovanine followed up with stating that he is very grateful for the fans and all of the support they have displayed throughout the season.
The Vikings next home game will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 23 against Elmhurst at 7 p.m. The upcoming away games will take place at Wheaton College and Illinois Wesleyan on Jan. 16 and 19.
Featured Photo: Augustana senior Brett Benning takes a shot against his Carthage opponents during the close CCIW game on Saturday, Jan. 12. The Vikings won 69-68. Photo by Ian Murrin.