ROCK ISLAND — The Carthage College men's basketball team survived a back-and-forth contest Saturday evening, using a late basket in the closing seconds to outlast Augustana (Ill.) and secure a dramatic College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) victory 75-73. The Firebirds answered multiple rallies throughout the second half before delivering the decisive play in the final possession.

• Final Score: Carthage 75 - Augustana (Ill.) 73
• Location: Rock Island, Illinois - Carver PE Center
• Records: Carthage 17-6 (11-3 CCIW), Augustana (Ill.) 10-13 (5-9 CCIW)

• Augustana (Ill.) opened the game on a 9-4 run, prompting an early Carthage timeout.
• Carthage responded as AJ Williams hit a three-pointer and Antuan Nesbitt converted two free throws to move the Firebirds ahead by one at 13:05.
• A jumper from Jabe Haith followed by a Nesbitt layup stretched the lead to seven.
• Williams later added a layup to maintain a 30-23 advantage.
• With 3:50 left in the half, Haith scored inside to make it 36-27, but the Vikings closed the period strong and trimmed the margin to 40-36 at halftime.
• Early in the second half, Augustana (Ill.) cut the lead to one before Williams recorded a steal that led to a Chris Schlesinger layup, restoring the Carthage edge.
• Ryan Johnson connected from three-point range to push the lead to eight with 12:57 remaining.
• The Vikings answered and eventually tied the game at 52 on a free throw.
• Carthage fired back with consecutive three-pointers from Riley Brooks, Schlesinger and Nesbitt.
• Layups by Williams and Nesbitt extended the advantage to 69-58 with just over five minutes left, though Augustana (Ill.) rallied within four at 1:22.
• The Vikings tied the score at 73 with 13 seconds remaining.
• On the ensuing possession, Johnson drove and scored with two seconds left to give Carthage a two-point lead.
• Augustana (Ill.) missed its final attempt, allowing the Firebirds to seal the win.

• Riley Brooks recorded his third double-double of the season, leading the team with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
• Ryan Johnson added 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Johnson became the 32nd student-athlete to cross the 1,000 career points mark. 
• Jabe Haith scored a season-high 13 points off the bench, while Antuan Nesbitt contributed 12 points.
• Griffin Daun collected seven rebounds, and Chris Schlesinger handed out four assists.

"We battled tonight for 40 minutes and found a way to walk out with a win! With AJ Johnson out today and battling some foul trouble in the first half, we played a few lineups that haven't played together all year. 
Jabe Haith gave us a huge boost in that first half scoring the ball. Mason Miller gave some very solid minutes on both ends. Riley Brooks was excellent tonight finishing with 16 points and leading us with 11 rebounds! AJ Williams is playing some really good basketball at the most important time of the year. 

In the second half in a close game, Antuan Nesbitt and Chris Schlesinger hit two huge threes to extend our lead. And what a finish by Ryan Johnson at the rim to put us ahead with 2 seconds to go. He's a big time player and stepped up when we needed him. 

We need to clean up a few things late in the game, but to walk out with a road CCIW win is always special. 

Back to work Monday as we prepare for the final week of the regular season and another tough matchup at Wheaton!"

• The Firebirds will face Wheaton (Ill.) on Wednesday, February 18 at 7 p.m. on the road.