Women's Basketball 11/21/03 -- Wisconsin-La Crosse 76, Augsburg 74 

BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (11/21/03) -- Leslie Matson (So., Stoughton, Wis.) led all scorers with 24 points, as the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse rallied from a six-point deficit in the final 7:37 of play to claim a 76-74 win over host Augsburg College in a nonconference women's basketball game on Friday night at Si Melby Hall.

Matson scored five points in a game-deciding 12-4 run down the stretch to give the Eagles a 76-74 lead with 2:37 left, but neither team could score the rest of the way, including a missed Augsburg jumper at the buzzer.

It was the first game of the season for both teams, and the first collegiate game coached by Augsburg's Dave Johnson, who had coached the girls' basketball program at Hudson (Wis.) High School for 19 seasons before being named the Auggies' head coach this season.

Jana Merchlewitz (Jr., Rushford, Minn./Rushford-Peterson HS) had 14 points and Amanda Cushman (Sr., Blue Mound, Wis./Mt. Horeb HS) had 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals for the Eagles.

Wisconsin-La Crosse led 46-41 at halftime, its largest lead of the game. Augsburg slowly cut into the lead, outscoring the Eagles by a 15-4 margin over a 4:52 margin midway through the second half to take its biggest lead, 70-64 with 7:37 remaining in the second half. Katie Kelsey (Jr., Burnsville, Minn.) had eight of her 11 points in the 15-4 Auggie run.

Ashley Vossen (So., St. Paul, Minn.) came off the bench to lead Augsburg with 13 points. Julie Andert * (Sr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) had 12 points, six assists, eight rebounds and three steals in an all-around effort for the Auggies. Ashley Sasek (Jr., Waukesha, Wis./Kettle Moraine HS) had eight points, three assists and two steals. Selina Thiesen (Fr., Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS) had six points and six rebounds in her collegiate debut, and Emily Anderson (So., Hudson, Wis.), a transfer from Wisconsin-Eau Claire, had five points, nine assists, four steals and four rebounds.

Lindsey Wilder (Sr., La Crose, Wis./Logan HS) had eight points and five rebounds for the Eagles, while Yasmin Johnson (Jr., Altoona, Wis.) had seven pionts and Aby Johnson (Fr., Prescott, Wis.) had six points and a game-high 10 rebounds off the bench.

Wisconsin-La Crosse returns to action on Saturday (11/22) at 2 p.m., playing at Bethel College in Arden Hills, Minn. Augsburg returns to action after the Thanksgiving break, with a game at Northwestern-Roseville next Saturday (11/29) at 3 p.m.