Women's Basketball 1/23/02 -- Augsburg 56, Concordia-Moorhead 55 

BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (1/23/02) -- Kelly Chapman (So., Willernie, Minn./Mahtomedi HS) matched a career high with 21 points to lead all players, as Augsburg College broke a 42-game, 24-season losing streak to Concordia College-Moorhead with a 56-55 triumph in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball game Wednesday night at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall.

Prior to Wednesday, Augsburg had never beaten Concordia-Moorhead since the teams started their women's basketball series in the 1978-79 season. The teams have played twice each year since the 1983-84 campaign, when the MIAC began women's basketball play.

Augsburg is now 6-11 overall and 5-9 in MIAC play, while Concordia drops to 7-10 overall and 7-7 in league play.

Augsburg rallied from a 30-27 halftime deficit to claim the victory in a game that featured seven lead changes and six ties.

A 14-6 run over the first nine minutes of the second half gave the Auggies a 41-36 advantage, a lead stretched to as many as eight points later in the half. A 9-0 run by the Cobbers gave the visitors a 49-48 lead with 3:56 remaining, but Augsburg rallied again with consecutive layups by Megan Wetzell (So., Wells, Minn./United South Central HS) to take a 52-49 advantage with 2:02 left.

Mandy Berggren (Sr., Cokato, Minn./Dassel-Cokato HS) notched consecutive layups to put the Cobbers ahead 53-52 with 1:07 left, but the Auggies took the lead to stay on a fast-break layup by Chapman with 38 seconds to play. Ashley Sasek (Fr., Waukesha, Wis./Kettle Moraine HS) hit two free throws with 12 seconds left to move the Auggie lead to 56-53, and despite a fast-break score by Concordia's Debbie Slack (So., Evansville, Minn.) with under a second remaining, the Cobbers couldn't overcome the Auggies.

Chapman scored in double figures for the 11th time in Augsburg's 17 games this season, and the 21st time in her 40-game Auggie career. It was the third time she has scored 20 or more points this season and the fourth time she has accomplished the feat in her career. She matched a career high set in a win at Bethel last season.

Julie Andert (So., Eden Prairie, Minn.) had eight points, 12 rebounds and four steals, and Wetzell had eight points and six rebounds for the Auggies. Sasek had eight points, three assists and four steals.

Berggren paced the Cobbers with 20 points, six rebounds, five assists, three blocks and three steals. Slack had eight points and a game-high 17 rebounds to go with two blocks. Kasey Bostow (Jr., Fargo, N.D./South HS) had 14 points, nine rebounds and three steals, and Mandy Pearson (Fr., Watkins, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins HS) contributed nine assists and three steals.

Both teams return to MIAC saction on Saturday (1/26), Augsburg hosting Hamline at 3 p.m. and Concordia hosting St. Olaf at 5:30 p.m.