Women's Basketball 1/12/08 -- St. Benedict 72, Augsburg 69 (OT)
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MINNEAPOLIS (1/12/08) -- Mackenzie O'Neil (SR, Waseca, Minn.) scored five of her 17 points in the first minute of overtime, giving the College of St. Benedict a lead it would not relinquish en route to a 72-69, overtime win over host Augsburg College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball game on Saturday afternoon at Si Melby Hall.
O'Neil ended up with 17 points, seven rebounds and four steals for St. Benedict (8-3 overall, 6-2 MIAC), which won its fifth straight game. Danielle Frank (FY, Caledonia, Minn.) scored 10 points with 15 rebounds and five blocked shots, and Mindy Schmidt (So, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park HS) had 16 points, six rebounds and two steals.
Augsburg (4-7 overall, 2-6 MIAC), which lost its fifth straight game, was paced by two players claiming double-doubles -- point guard Kristina Lurken * (SR, Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo HS), who had 20 points and 10 rebounds for her sixth point-rebound double-double of her career (seventh double-double overall); and center Christa Suedbeck (JR, Hugo, Minn./White Bear Lake HS), who recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds, to go along with two blocked shots.
Shannon Renne (FY, Nicollet, Minn.) scored 15 points with four rebounds and three assists for the Auggies, and Michelle Richter (JR, Chaska, Minn.) came off the bench to score eight points with three rebounds.
St. Benedict held its biggest lead of the game, nine points, when it led 34-25 at halftime. But Augsburg outscored St. Benedict by a 37-28 margin in the second half to tie the game at 62-62 at the end of regulation, forcing overtime. Augsburg trailed by eight points, 52-44 with 8:47 left in regulation and by five points, 59-54, with 3:56 left, but was able to rally to tie the game.
Suedbeck scored 12 points, Renne scored 11 points and Lurken scored eight points for the Auggies in the second half. Augsburg shot 66.7 percent (16-of-24) form the field in the second half, while St. Benedict was limited to 29.4 percent (10-of-34) from the field.
But the Blazers jumped out to a quick lead in the overtime and took control. O'Neil hit a three-pointer on the Blazers' first possession, and after a steal, hit a layup to give the Blazers a 67-62 lead just 36 seconds into overtime, a lead it would not relinquish.
Augsburg outrebounded St. Benedict by a 47-43 margin, but committed 20 turnovers, which the Blazers turned into 19 points. St. Benedict had just nine turnovers, which were converted into six Augsburg points.
Both teams return to MIAC play on Wednesday (1/16) at 7:30 p.m., with Augsburg playing at St. Mary's and St. Benedict playing at St. Catherine.
