Men's Basketball 12/15/07 -- Augsburg 84, St. Scholastica 72
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MINNEAPOLIS (12/15/07) -- Jon Cassens (SO, Prior Lake, Minn.) scored a game-high 20 points with eight assists and two steals, while Femi Solaja (SR, Cottage Grove, Minn./St. Paul Harding HS) collected his third double-double of the season, as Augsburg College pulled away in the second half for an 84-72 victory over the College of St. Scholastica in a nonconference men's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall.
Leading 44-41 at halftime, Augsburg (1-6 overall) used a 15-1 run over a 4:52 span to take its biggest lead of the game, 72-52 with 8:04 left. Solaja scored five points in the run, while Cassens had four points. St. Scholastica (3-5 overall) trimmed the lead to 11 points with 1:01 left, but could not get the Auggie advantage under double-digits the rest of the way.
Solaja's double-double was the seventh in his last 12 games dating to last season. Cassen's 20-point effort was his second in a row and third in his two-season career. Also for Augsburg, Nate Alm (JR, Eden Prairie, Minn.) scored 15 points with five rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals, and Mitch Dice (SR, Savage, Minn./Bloomington Lutheran HS) scored 11 points with four rebounds.
St. Scholastica was paced by Brady Zubke (SR, Laporte, Minn./Park Rapids HS), who had 18 points with four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Eric Langdon (SR, Cloquet, Minn.) scored 13 points with six rebounds and three assists, and Mike McDonald (JR, Two Harbors, Minn.) scored 12 points with three rebounds.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with three lead changes and five ties. The Saints led by five points early, but Augsburg took the lead for good in the closing minutes of the first half, leading by as many as five points and eventually by three points at halftime.
Augsburg shot a season-high 61.8 percent from the field (34-of-55), while limiting St. Scholastica to 45.3 percent (29-of-64), including just 36.1 percent (13-of-36) in the second half. St. Scholastica outrebounded Augsburg by a 32-28 margin, but Augsburg was able to convert 26 points off of 24 St. Scholastica turnovers. The Saints scored 23 points off of 21 Auggie miscues.
Both teams are now off for the holiday break. Augsburg returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. with a nonconference game at Presentation (S.D.), while St. Scholastica returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 30 at 7:30 p.m., with a game at Whittier (Calif.).
