2015-16 MIAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDSMINNEAPOLIS -- Two Augsburg College women's basketball student-athletes received Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference recognition in the conference's postseason awards, announced on Thursday.Augsburg guard Maria Loughlin (SR, Rogers, Minn.) was named an All-MIAC honoree, while guard Jenna Orth (SR, Melrose, Minn.) was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team for the second straight year. The postseason honor is the first for Loughlin.
In her lone season as an Auggie after playing her first three seasons at Division II Minnesota-Crookston, Maria Loughlin was one of the leaders for the Auggies before her collegiate career ended due to injury with three games remaining in the season. She led the Auggies in scoring with a 13.8 points per-game average, connecting on a team-best 47 three-pointers. She had team-highs of 76 assists and 52 steals, while pulling down 67 rebounds (3.0 rpg) and blocking 12 shots.
Among MIAC players in overall statistics, Loughlin stood ninth in points per-game, fourth in steals, eighth in assists, third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1) and fifth in three-pointers, playing a seventh-best average of 32.0 minutes per-game.
Orth was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team, as part of the conference's sportsmanship initiative. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition.One of the key players off the bench for the Auggies this season, Orth averaged 4.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per-game this season, adding 33 assists and 31 steals. In 100 career games (56 starts), Orth scored 553 points (5.5 ppg) and pulled down 398 rebounds (4.0 rpg), along with 195 assists and 202 steals.
Under first-year head coach Ted Riverso, Augsburg finished 14-11 overall and 9-9 in MIAC play in 2015-16, just missing a spot in the MIAC's postseason playoffs. Augsburg has finished with double-digit victory totals in four of the last five seasons, including the last three in a row.
